


The Distinguished Blood Running Through Your Veins

by clever_url



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Black Family (Harry Potter) - Freeform, Character Development, Desi Character, Desi Potter Family (Harry Potter), Developing Friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Friendship/Love, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era, Protective Siblings, Pureblood Culture, Sibling Love, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Worldbuilding, evenutal wolfstar, in which sirius says 'fuck it' and becomes the hooligan we all know and love evenually, this is probably gonna be a loooong ass fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-06-23 17:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15611457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clever_url/pseuds/clever_url
Summary: Sirius Black is pulled out of Durmstrang in his third year and sent to Hogwarts where Walburga, aka Mummy dearest, can have a closer watch over him. He is unexpectedly sorted into Gryffindor, and meets James, Peter, and Remus. As he grows closer to them, he begins to question his pureblood upbringing. A story about found family, growing up, and finding the truth.Rated Teen and Up for language.





	1. Ready?

**Author's Note:**

> This story was not betaed. 
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. If I did, I would have had the courage to make Dumbledore gay in-fiction.

_“You have muddied the distinguished blood running through your veins. We will settle this matter quietly, and you will remain in Britain where there will be no more room for failure. You have disgraced the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.” ___

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\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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The trimmings on the Hogwarts Express were made of brass not gold. The carpet smelled of stale frogspawn. The seats were slightly sticky with Merlin knows what. The fastings on the luggage racks dented dragon leather trucks. The trolley women expected him to eat _sweets _for lunch. The rain seeped through the window trim and soaked his brand new robes. Regulus would not stop blathering on about which pureblood Hogwarts students he had seen on platform 9 ¾.__

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____

____

Sirius Black had a headache. He pressed his temple to the cold window of the sparsely populated compartment, closed his eyes, and let Reg talk. At least one of them was happy to be attending Hogwarts this year. 

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“And that Greengrass fellow, he went to Beauxbatons the last two years. He’s going to Hogwarts for three, and finish off at Durmstrang. Mother said the Greengrass family always split their education between all the European schools ‘cause their bloodline is shamfully muddled. I mean, should they have even have status if they have Swedish blood, but _French _? We shouldn’t be associated with those poufs!”__

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

He laughed and looked at Sirius’s bent head. He continued, “Anyway, what I mean here, is that Wilfred is going into his third year too, and even though his family are buggers, you won’t be the only halfway decent person starting there late.”

______ _ _

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Sirius didn’t like Wilfred. He spoke flowery French too much. It made him feel stupid.

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____

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Despite that, Sirius looked up and offered a weak smile, “Thanks, Reg.”

______ _ _

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Regulus smiled back. He hopped up suddenly, “I’m going to go change. I couldn’t be seen in the school issued one when we boarded the train. The fabric is too heavy for the cut of the robes. All the weight is in the front leaving no suitable train in the back. The clasps too, made of the cheapest metal I’ve seen. I’m quite glad Kreacher replaced them. Oh! And, look, he’s fixed the weight distribution. Remind me to write Mother so she can congratulate him.”

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Regulus walked away, still talking more to himself than anyone else. Sirius had seen him wearing his Hogwarts robes before such alterations smiling proudly into the mirror through a crack in his bedroom door, already wearing the fine silk tie of Slytherin house. Mother hadn’t even waited for the Sorting before she bought a set of green ties for both of her sons, even skillfully enchanting the green crests onto every single pair of robes they would bring to school. It would set them apart, she said, to have the traces of Black magic on them at all times.

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Sirius was already in his school robes. Though he had not been Sorted either, a green tie was tight around his neck. His collar was pinned down, robes securely clasped around his neck, shirt tucked, cufflinks clipped, pants ironed, shoes shined. Hair slicked back with, frankly, too much Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment and one or two charms. “To keep those mangy curls hidden,” his Mother always said.

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

He picked at his tie, a nervous habit. He was far too old for this silliness. Little eleven year olds like Reg should feel nervous about whether he’d fit in, about his robes being just right, about where he’d sit in the Great Hall, about the lessons being harder than his old one, or easier. That would be worse. He hated being bored. 

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

And about the questions he’d be asked. Why had he changed schools? Did he like Durmstrang? Did he hate Hogwarts? Why are your robes so beautiful on you Sirius? We’re all wearing the same uniform. 

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

The answer was that Sirius had put a bit of a charm on his school robes to lay in just the right way, a dash of charming but rugged grace, but that was besides the point. He was nervous and ready to get off this dreadful train. 

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Just as he thought this, the train’s chugging started to slow, and dull roar of excited voices grew to absolute tumult as trunks slammed, cages closed, robes were hastily changed. Perhaps his ears deceived him, but Sirius thought he heard a small explosion coming from somewhere in the train too.

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Regulus raced around the corner, mostly dressed accept for his tie. “We’re here,” he said breathlessly. He had chosen to leave the tie off, simply out of formality of course. His cheeks were flushed and a glow of excitement radiated off of him.

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

People raced by them laughing, excited to get inside the warm and inviting castle and out of the cold, drafty locomotive. Sirius caught a whiff of smoke coming from three Gryffindor boys, all with slightly singed hair.

______ _ _

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Sirius drew closer to Regulus in the press of badly tailored black robes and loud voices. 

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They stood together as the train slowed to a stop. They walked in stride to the exit and looked at eachother. 

______ _ _

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“Ready?” Regulus asked, bouncing on his heels.

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Sirius pushed him gently down the steps and towards the giant oaf swinging around a bright lantern yelling for first years. Reg ran towards the gaggle of eleven year olds without looking back. Sirius cast an Impervius on him for good measure. The rain had almost stopped but he had heard something about a lake from some second years. 

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

“Ready.” Sirius whispered under his breath. And walked in the opposite direction, towards the horseless carriages.

______ _ _

____

______ _ _


	2. Sirius Black the Third

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not betaed either. If you would like to beta me. Comment? 
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, JK Rowling does. If I did, I never would have written Cursed Child. Like, Voldemort's daughter? Really? Was she trying to write Decsendents fanfiction?

_“Slytherin is the only acceptable place for someone of your lineage. Do not fraternize with the muggle filth and blood traitors of the other houses. You are expected to exhibit all the traits of a proper Slytherin.” _  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__

__Every carriage Sirius passed seemed to be fully occupied._ _

__He saw a group of Ravenclaws enthusiastically discussing England’s last match and the tactics they’d used against Spain, packed in like sardines. Past Gryffindors fawning over a jewel encrusted turtle with huge claws cradled in the arms the a black-haired boy with glinting glasses. Past some older Slytherins sneering and pushing a scared, little Hufflepuff to and fro. He noticed a few of them, his cousins._ _

__A flash of white-hot anger rolled over him, and in a split second, without realizing what he was doing, he retaliated._ _

__“Evanesco,” he whispered under his breath, and flicked his wand at the boy who seemed to be the leader._ _

__His pressed trousers vanished. Loud swearing and a streak of a yellow tie from the Hufflepuff’s escape accompanied Sirius’s rapid return to the thinning throng of students. Rolling laughter grew distant as he walked to the last couple of carriages._ _

__Sirius’s heart was beating rather quickly. Why the bloody hell did he do that? The Hufflepuff snot meant nothing to him. He should be keeping a low profile, trying _not_ to get in trouble. At this rate, he would be back to Mother by October. This time was supposed to be different. __

____Finally, Sirius came across the carriage farthest away from the main platform. It contained only two people, a sour faced Slytherin boy and Gryffindor girl with copious amounts of red hair. They were talking animatedly but stopped abruptly as Sirius passed the carriage._ _ _ _

____The boy eyed him surreptitiously as Sirius drew nearer to the entrance and addressed him, “There are no other empty carriages, or I’d not bother you. Could I-”_ _ _ _

____“-‘Course! Budge up, Sev,” interrupted the Gryffindor girl as she shoved past him to offer Sirius a leg up into the carriage._ _ _ _

____She smiled warmly and pointed to herself and the boy in turn, leaning casually against him when she sat down and the carriage took off._ _ _ _

____“Lily. Evans. And Sev, well, Severus, I guess. For you.” She spoke very quickly in short, clipped sentences, “And you?”_ _ _ _

____“Sorry?”_ _ _ _

____“Dare to keep up,” Lily laughed, “Your name? Can’t just be saying, ‘Oi, you there!’”_ _ _ _

____“Sirius Black the Third,” He held his spine a bit straighter, waiting for her reaction._ _ _ _

____“ ‘Lo, Sirius. Nice to meet you. Though, have to tell you, you’re in the wrong place.” She showed no sign of registering his family name._ _ _ _

____“What?” he said, more out of surprise than confusion. Usually everyone cared about his ancestry._ _ _ _

____“First year. Right?”_ _ _ _

____“Not exactly.”_ _ _ _

____Servus spoke up, his stringy hair falling over his face. “No, he’s not, Lily. He’s our age. We haven’t seen him before, and I know all the Slytherins in our year.” He spoke like he were accusing Sirius of a major crime._ _ _ _

____“I attended Durmstrang Institute the last two years,” Sirius answered, and straightened his tie. He continued, “And, I’m not a Slytherin but-”_ _ _ _

____“-You didn’t tell me there were other wizard schools, Sev!” Lily interrupted. Eyes wide, she whipped around to face Severus._ _ _ _

____“Well, they aren’t as good as Hogwarts,” he scoffed, “ and, besides, we wouldn’t be going to any other ones anyway. They won’t let you go unless you’ve got an in with the headmaster, money, or both.”_ _ _ _

____He gave Sirius the same judgemental stare over Lily’s shoulder. Somehow it contained more malice than before._ _ _ _

____Lily turned back around face to Sirius, and leaned back into Severus’s chest as if settling in for the story of a lifetime. “Tell me. Everything. Blimey. Missing a whole part of the world, am I?”_ _ _ _

____Sirius understood. _Mudblood_ , Lily was a mudblood. Any proper witch would have known his name and of the mere existence Durmstrang. It also explained the cheap plastic daisy earrings and the bellbottoms sticking out from under her robes. He was hoping she was just an eccentric. His Uncle Alphard had an infinity for the strange pants as well. ___ _

______Severus was peculiar, and bitter too. Sirius hadn’t met him before, so he wasn’t a pureblood. Did he have no respect for the Black name? And, Hogwarts, better than any other wizarding school? No way in hell._ _ _ _ _ _

______There was no wondering why these two were sitting alone. A hippie mudblood and an idiot who couldn’t even wash his hair. They looked comfortable together, though, like they’d had this easy relationship for forever._ _ _ _ _ _

______After his realization, Sirius was reluctant to continue his conversation._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Perhaps we can talk later. There’s a lot to tell, and not enough time to tell it all,” offering up a weak excuse and not meeting her eyes. His leg was bouncing up and down and hands flew up to pick at his too tight tie. It was almost choking him._ _ _ _ _ _

______Lily looked unperturbed and pressed on, “Come on. At least how it’s different. From this place.” She gestured out the window to a half obscured view of the castle that Sirius had not previously noticed._ _ _ _ _ _

______It was breathtakingly beautiful, unlike anything Sirius had ever seen. The grounds were shimmering with the recently fallen rain. They reflected the light of the warmly lit castle. The towers and turrets extended so far into the sky that they vanished into the receding clouds, seemingly going on for forever. Even from this distance Sirius could see the numerous ancient gargoyles were skillfully carved and the stone work was done by a master wandsmith. As he watched out the window, the wrought iron gates magically untangled themselves from each other to allow the carriages access to the huge carved front doors of the castle._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Bigger,” he said, simply, still looking out the window “Durmstrang is... bigger.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The carriage stopped, and Sirius immediately hopped out. He was hoping to lose Lily and Severus in the crowd, but she grabbed his arm before he could get too far._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Tell me. Later. Yeah? I’ll find you.” With that she linked hands with Severus and walked away._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sirius rubbed his arm where her hand had been. He hoped no one important had seen that exchange. He looked around at the other students streaming into the giant doors. No one even looked his way._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to constructive critizism. Any suggestions? Questions? Concerns? I'll answer them.


	3. The Sorting Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was betaed by Shadow_Writer03. Thank you so much!
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. If I did, I would have named American muggles something more interesting than "No-Maj's".

_“There are many distinguished families represented at Hogwarts. You will conduct yourself in a manner that shows you be fit for the friendship of other pureblood youth in the noble house of Slytherin.” ___

__\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__The Entrance Hall was intimidatingly large and packed with students. They all ignored the grand marble staircase and large hourglasses standing astride it in favor of the brightly lit Great Hall. Coincidentally, their eyes slid past a stern looking witch in emerald green robes standing right in front of the ruby filled hourglass. Through the rush of students, her eyes were steadfastly fixed on Sirius. She gave a little jerk of the head, indicating that he was to come towards her._ _

__Uneasily, Sirius fought to break away from the rest of the students and towards the woman he thought to be a teacher._ _

__As he approached her, she spoke in a tart voice with a heavy Scottish accent, “I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor here at Hogwarts. You are Sirius Black.” It was not a question. She continued, “Professor Dumbledore has decided that you and the Greengrass boy, Wilfred, will not be Sorted with the first years. He will join you in his office after the Ceremony and Start of Term speech for a more private affair as requested by your families.”_ _

__Professor McGonagall fixed her eyes on the crowd once more. Sirius waited next to her with the uncomfortable feeling that her presence next to him has thrust a powerful spotlight in his direction. More people were looking his way than before. Did they think he was in trouble? Or getting special treatment? He didn’t know which was worse._ _

__After locating Wilfred, she spoke to him in the same stern way as she had to Sirius, giving him the same speech. Wilfred merely nodded and glanced sideways at Sirius._ _

__She gestured to a boy who had just entered the hall, “Ted! Ted, you’re Head Boy this year, correct?”_ _

__Ted puffed out his chest importantly, “I sure am, Professor.”_ _

__McGonagall did not look like the kind of person who would smile easily or often, but, unless Sirius was mistaken, her face softened when she spoke to Ted. Perhaps she took a cold stance only toward Sirius. “Take these two up to Professor Dumbledore’s office. You know the password.”_ _

__She walked importantly toward the Great Hall, leaving them with Ted. He was fair-haired and jovial looking with a heart-shaped face, a seventh year and a Hufflepuff._ _

__“Alright? Name’s Ted, Ted Tonks. Edward if you’re my mother, ” he chuckled over his shoulder, and walked up the stairs, expecting them to follow._ _

__Ted walked quickly through the castle, around twisting corridors, up stairs, and once, behind a tapestry. His pace meant that Sirius could not take in all the strange things packed into the corridors’ secret alcoves, suits of armour, moving portraits, and grotesque statues. He ached to examine them. A place like this, his house for example, always had magically hidden passageways and heaps of secrets waiting behind a portrait or accessed through a tap of a stone and a special incantation. Durmstrang, with its straight, bare hallways, was a newly minted hovel compared to the age, complexity, and beauty of Hogwarts._ _

__When they were ascending what was the last staircase, Ted assured him, Sirius was not looking where his feet went in favor of studying a huge stained glass window depicting Godric Gryffindor slaying a dragon._ _

__Ted commented, almost lazily, “Skip that stair” as he hopped over it and continued onward. Sirius caught his comment and stumbled over the indicated stair, but not after bumping into Wilfred, causing him to sink his foot directly into the stair. A stream of familiar curses slipped out, both in French and recognizable English, as he tried to pull his foot out of the stair. Ted, noticing what happened, almost tripped over himself turning around and racing down the stairs to help Wilfred._ _

__“Here I’ll take his right arm, you, left,” he instructed, “Now, pull!”_ _

__They heaved Wilfred out of the stair, landing on their backsides a bit painfully. Wilfred’s robes had gathered around his knees, giving Sirius a good look at his bare shins. He was not wearing any trousers._ _

__Sirius’s face paled, and Wilfred’s face went red. He quickly pulled down his robes as he stood up. Ted, (out of tact most likely) seemed not to notice._ _

__So, it was Wilfred’s unlucky trousers he had vanished earlier. Sirius hoped against all hopes Wilfred didn’t know it was his slip-up, his anger had gotten the best of him. It happened sometimes when he didn’t think. It was the stress making him do strange things._ _

__After a short while, they reached an ugly gargoyle, and Ted leaned in and whispered something that sounded like “lick rich all sores” in its ear._ _

__It moved aside with sigh and a roll of its eyes to reveal a spiral staircase that swirled like a corkscrew, ascending up towards an opening far above them._ _

__Sirius stepped onto the stairs, appreciating the theatrics of it all. The process was entirely unnecessary, but done with great style._ _

__When they reached the top, Dumbledore was already sitting at his desk. He smiled serenely at them from across the room and motioned for them to sit at the chairs in front of the desk. Sirius did not ask how he had gotten there so quickly._ _

__It was a large, circular room packed with books lining the numerous shelves. The walls were so covered with portraits of sleeping witches and wizards that one could hardly see the walls. Sitting on small tables lining the room were curious silver instruments all whizzing, puffing smoke, and emitting quiet little sounds every few minutes or so._ _

__“Thank you, Ted. And, could you get the Head Girl for me as well? Tell her to finish up dinner quickly. I have a feeling we’ll be needing her.”_ _

__Ted blushed a bit at the mention of the Head Girl, but nodded and left the room all the same._ _

__“I was expecting you sooner. It’s not like Ted to lose his way in the castle.”_ _

__“We were delayed, Professor. My foot, it, um, got stuck, in the staircase,” Wilfred admitted._ _

__“Ah, I see. When I’m at my most distracted, I too fall prey to that trick step outside the entrance to my office. I dare say Mr. Filch has had to pull me out more times than I am willing to admit,” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. It was hard to imagine this man stuck in any situation._ _

__McGonagall broke the silence after Dumbledore’s confession by walking briskly into the room carrying a dirty, patched, and fraying hat._ _

__Sirius never imagined the Sorting Hat to be so ugly._ _

__Without warning, she plopped the hat over Wilfred’s head, startling him. He recovered quickly, and a few seconds later, the hat boomed, “SLYTHERIN!”_ _

__The shout reverberated around the room. Sirius could feel the sound in his chest, shaking his ribs._ _

__McGonagall stuck one finger in her finger, most likely to clear out to ringing sound that Sirius was also experiencing. “That was entirely unnecessary,” she scolded the hat._ _

__It give no response._ _

__While not pleased with the volume at which it was announced, Wilfred was not surprised by the hat’s verdict. He smirked at Sirius, as McGonagall transferred the hat to his head._ _

__He squeezed his eyes shut and his heartbeat quickened as the hat was placed on his head._ _

__After a second of silence, a small voice spoke very close to his ear, _“Hmm, tricky, tricky, tricky. Very clever. Oh, yes, quite clever. But fear. Fear of... yourself. Of who you are. Hmmmm.. And loyalty. Fierce loyalty. But slow to anger you are not. Mmhm.”__ _

____This left only two options. Sirius could feel his heartbeat in this throat. He thought of Regulus. Of Wilfred. Of the rest of his cousins. Of Mother._ _ _ _

_____“You know, don’t you? You know you don’t belong with them. So why do ask me to place you there? I see the Hufflepuff girl you saved. I feel the flash of your anger. And, I feel your defiance when you were caught. I know how it felt to be with Him. You do not want to hide any longer.”_ _ _ _ _

______It spoke, out loud this time. Softly, almost joyfully, the Sorting Hat said, “Gryffindor.”_ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Welcome to Gryffindor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by Shadow_Writer03. Many thanks!
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. If I did, I would have given Draco a Zuko-like redemption arc. There was so much potential for Draco to become a decent human. 
> 
> Extra note on this chapter: panic attacks. It's how I experience them, so I can't speak for other people's experiences with panic atttacks.

_“Keep close to your cousins, Andromeda and Bellatrix, and your brother, Regulus. Your family ties are of paramount importance. They define you.” _  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__

__The room was full of a heavy silence._ _

__Slowly, Sirius opened his eyes. Dumbledore’s gaze seemed to sharpen. His kind blue eyes now seemed to stare right through him with a renewed interest. He folded his hands under his nose._ _

__Without breaking his gaze from Sirius, he addressed a portrait to his left, “I believe you owe Armando five galleons, Phineas.”_ _

__A very familiar painting of a shrewd looking wizard wearing dark green and silver grumbled something under his breath as he tossed a small bag over the heads of multiple witches and wizards dozing in their portraits. It smacked a bald man with a bushy beard in the head, waking him rather forcefully._ _

__“Oof!” said the portrait of Armando Dippet, rubbing his head. He brightened considerably recognizing what the bag and its contents meant. “Ha ha! Not a Slytherin, eh? I do hope he was a Ravenclaw, best of the bunch.”_ _

__Phineas Nigellus Black spoke in a snide, impatient voice. “No, you twit. My useless great-great-grandson lost me five galleons by landing himself with the most brainless, pig headed lot there is. A Gryffindor in the Black family! What a pile of-”_ _

__His last words were cut off as he walked out of frame._ _

__To Mother. Sirius knew he went to report to Mother._ _

__A blossom of panic began in his chest._ _

__That’s why she requested a private Sorting. It was so she could check up on him, to make sure he could not fail again._ _

__The panic was growing now, overwhelming him. He could feel his breath quickening and throat constricting. Tears pricked behind his eyes. The world spun in front of his eyes._ _

__The thoughts spiraled in his head, _“Failure. Gross failure. Again. Why? Mother. She knows. She knows. She knows.”__ _

____A soft hand appeared on his back, and another removed the Sorting Hat from his head._ _ _ _

____“I have never thought much of Phineas myself. Neither did anyone while he was headmaster of Hogwarts . Nasty man. And, as Head of Gryffindor house, I take personal offence. Pig headed? I would say I’m more cat-like,” Professor McGonagall said all of this in a conversational tone, directing her speech to Dumbledore._ _ _ _

____She moved forward, between the two boys, giving Sirius the chance to collect himself without Wilfred noticing._ _ _ _

____“Indeed, Minerva. I would never think of you as such. You’re quite the noblewoman,” Dumbledore relied._ _ _ _

____A soft knock on the door frame alerted them to Andromeda Black’s entrance into the office._ _ _ _

____“Ted said you needed me?” Her eyes flicked to Sirius, and her mouth twitched upwards in a small smile of recognition._ _ _ _

____“Yes, Andromeda we have a new addition to Slytherin house. After the feast, which has not ended, I assume?”_ _ _ _

____Andromeda nodded._ _ _ _

____Dumbledore continued, “Then please escort Wilfred to the common room after he has dinner.”_ _ _ _

____A puzzled expression grew on Andromeda’s face as she looked towards Sirius, but sudden recognition soon replaced it when she saw McGonagall's hand on his back. She did not sneer like Phineas._ _ _ _

____She walked toward Wilfred and offered him a handshake. They walked towards the door together, but right before they excited Sirius saw a small flick of her hand. A minuscule piece of paper appeared in his hands. He pocketed it before McGonagall or Dumbledore saw it._ _ _ _

____“I assume you will be wanting some dinner as well?” Dumbledore turned his attention back towards Sirius._ _ _ _

____“No, sir, I’m not hungry.”_ _ _ _

____The piercing stare was back. “I see. Professor?”_ _ _ _

____McGonagall nodded and started to walk towards the door. She looked back at Sirus and jerked her head for him to follow._ _ _ _

____Through the labyrinthine castle again, but this time, only going up and up and up until they reached a short corridor ending in a portrait of a fat lady wearing pink satin._ _ _ _

____Before they reached the end of the corridor Sirius spoke to McGonagall’s back._ _ _ _

____“Um, Professor.” Sirius reached up and took off his green and silver tie. He held it in his hands in front of him, not looking at McGonagall. “I don’t have any… any…”_ _ _ _

____“I see.” She tapped her wand on his tie and said, curtly, “Colovaria.”_ _ _ _

____The tie rapidly changed to a vivid deep burgundy and rich gold._ _ _ _

____Sirius caught a small smile on her lips before she turned back to the portrait._ _ _ _

____“The common room is accessed through this painting. It is a secret entrance only revealed through a password.”_ _ _ _

____She marched toward the portrait, and loudly said, “Fortuna praemisit.”_ _ _ _

____The Fat Lady said, “Ohoho! A new student! Welcome to Gryffindor darling!” and swung forwards._ _ _ _

____They entered into a circular room with numerous squashy armchairs. It was bathed in a warm glow from both the brass chandeliers and a roaring fire. The were numerous tables and desks for study. The bookshelves were not packed with textbooks but numerous novels, some of which Sirius had never seen before. The tapestries lining the walls were all a deep red depicting numerous witches and wizards and some animals. There was a large painting of a lion above the mantelpiece. The numerous windows showed Sirius a magnificent sunset of deep oranges fading into the mountainous backdrop._ _ _ _

____It was a bit shabby over years of use. The squashy armchairs were mismatched and fraying a bit. The chandeliers were a bit dented. (He did not want to know how) The floors had wear marks from frequent traffic. There was a table with a stain that Sirius was fairly certain was old, soaked in firewhisky._ _ _ _

____It reached none of the grandeur of the Black family home or even his Durmstrang dormitories which, even though bare, seemed newer. Nevertheless, this room felt more like home than any other place he’d ever been._ _ _ _

____“The boys dormitories are on the right, girls on the left. Your trunk was already delivered to your dorm. I will see you tomorrow, Mr.Black.”_ _ _ _

____Professor McGonagall left him alone in the Gryffindor common room. He sank into a very comfortable armchair close to the fire and closed his eyes._ _ _ _

____He was worried about Regulus spending his first night alone, He wouldn’t be able to easily check up on him anymore. He remembered his first night at Durmstrang. He had felt alone and scared. At least Reg had Andromeda. Sirius trusted her. She was the kindest of his cousins._ _ _ _

____He took her note out of his pocket. It read” “Reg in Slytherin. Very excited. Talk to me. Tomorrow morning in the Entrance Hall before breakfast. Love, Dromeda.”_ _ _ _

____He smiled at the ceiling and his breathing became easier. He still felt like a scared eleven year old but Andromeda had made him feel just a little bit better._ _ _ _

____He was about to walk up the boy’s staircase to find his dormitory when the portrait hole burst open and a gaggle of first years entered, closely followed by a prefect. Closely following her came the entirety of Gryffindor house. They were deafeningly loud, shouting greetings at each other, hugging friends they’d missed over the summer, throwing wadded up paper at each other, a few were even jumping on armchairs. They all seemed deliriously happy to be there._ _ _ _

____Sirius stood in front of the staircase, watching all the commotion. He wanted to be part of it._ _ _ _

____Three boys with singed hair raced directly towards him. He stepped aside to allow them passage up to the dorms._ _ _ _

____He caught eye contact with one of them. The tall, fair haired boy’s eyes were a brilliant green. They held an air of mystery behind them. His face too held the same feeling. He had few scars, small ones, but they just made his face more interesting._ _ _ _

____Sirius held his eye contact as long as he could, until the other boy broke it and raced up the stairs with the rest of his friends._ _ _ _

____A door slammed, and a few seconds later, a small, muffled explosion occured from the same vicinity._ _ _ _

____Sirius eased he way onto the stairs. He made his way to the door marked for Third years and opened it slowly._ _ _ _

____The three boys stared at him, then at the fourth bed in the room. It was the bed with Sirius’s truck nestled near the footboard. Upon it rested a jeweled turtle with large claws. The bed was also on fire._ _ _ _

____The black haired boy spoke first and stepped forwards. His hands were in his hair and he had an apologetic look on his face. “Hello mate. Um. Welcome to Gryffindor.”_ _ _ _


	5. James, Remus, and Peter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta- Shadow_Writer03 :)
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. If I did, black Hermoine would definitely have been a thing.

_”You will lay low. Do not go looking for trouble. As much trouble as you will get from your teachers, you will get from me ten-fold.” ___

__\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Sirius just stared at him, stunned._ _

__“I’m James. That’s Remus ‘n that’s Peter.” Remus gave a weak smile, and Peter waved enthusiastically. Too happily, Sirius thought, for a boy standing directly next to a flaming four poster._ _

__“And that here’s my fire crab. His name’s James Jr.”_ _

__The fire crab did not greet Sirius as the other two had done. It simply grunted a bit and shot a few sparks out of its rear end, lighting more of the hangings on fire._ _

__“You named it after yourself?” Sirius was still in shock, watching the crackling flames._ _

__“ ‘Course. Best name there is.” James gave a devilish smile. It was the smile of someone you would expect to smuggle a fire crab into your dormitory._ _

__Sirius was roused from his revelry by one of the posts of his bed falling down to the mattress. He walked quickly towards it casting an Aguamenti charm. Remus quickly followed suit. James after him, then, finally Peter, who had just noticed the severity of the fire._ _

__After his bed was thoroughly drenched, Sirius turned to James and said, “I’m Sirius. Nice to meet you. Now, how the bloody hell did you get a fire crab in here? And why is it on my stinking bed?”_ _

__James laughed and fell backwards onto Remus’s bed._ _

__“Nicked it,” he said to the ceiling, “from the Magical Menagerie on Diagon Alley. You’d be surprised what an invisibility cloak, some stolen lettuce, and a few simple wards can do. Believe it or not, James Jr. hasn’t exploded in the week I’ve had him. I think the train ride riled him up.”_ _

__“And why is it on my bed?”_ _

__Remus said, with an exaggerated roll of his bright green eyes, “He threw it on the bed farthest away from him because he knew it was going to shoot flames out its rear. It’s nothing personal really. He would have lit any of our beds on fire, as long as it wasn’t his.”_ _

__He shoved James’s leg, indicating he was scoot over to allow him access to his own bed._ _

__Peter sat at Remus’s feet, resting his back on the mattress. “But why do we have it exactly?”_ _

__“Dunno,” James said, “to stir up trouble mostly. Thought about letting it loose in the girls’ dormitory to take a mickey out on McGonagall first day of school. Or maybe using it as a flame for my caldron to piss off Slughorn for not including me in his little Slime Society.”_ _

__“Slug Club, James,” Remus corrected._ _

__“Same thing in my book.”_ _

__Sirius was leaning uneasily in his burnt mattress listening to both the conversation in front of him and the fire crab behind him slowly making a nest for itself in the ruined hangings. He was tired, stressed, and hungry and doing his very best not to let his new dorm mates know how uncomfortable he was to be so close to an illegal exotic pet and people who were planning to set it loose on unsuspecting students._ _

__While trying to hold all that in, his stomach demanded to be heard and let out a growl louder than any it had ever expressed. It halted the conversation in front of him._ _

__“Hungry, mate?” Jame laughed, sitting up and addressing Sirius._ _

__“I skipped dinner tonight.”_ _

__“Wanna nip down to the kitchens?” The devilish smile was back in full force. It made Sirius very nervous._ _

__“The house elves like it when I warn them that I’ve broken something expensive, like this here beautiful four-poster. And, I can’t leave another Gryffindor to starve, Can’t I?”_ _

__James was already across the room and digging in his trunk. He emerged from the mess with a shimmering, iridescent cloak._ _

__Sirius immediately recognized its immense value as a true invisibility cloak, even before James wrapped it around his head and pretended to be a dead man. A zombie, he called it._ _

__“The cloak won’t fit all of his. I’ll just take Sirius with me. Peter, you bump into things, and Remus, you nag like an old woman.”_ _

__Peter looked slightly offended, but Remus just shrugged and wished them well while turning down his sheets._ _

__James wrapped half the cloak around himself, extended the other half and said, “Well, you coming?”_ _

__Mother would make Sirius pay if she ever found out. If they were caught by a teacher out of bed, they would most certainly get detention and a letter home. But this friendly, smiling boy in front of him had an invisibility cloak and what seemed like a knack for skating the line between safety and trouble. And, James wanted to go down to kitchens already. He chose Sirius over Remus or Peter to accompany him._ _

__James’s floating head looked at Sirius expectantly. Sirius stomach gave another little grumble._ _

__James’s face softened a bit, and he drew closer to Sirius. “We’re not gonna get in trouble. I promise. I’ve done this countless times before.”_ _

__Sirius felt a swell of a scary, yet electrifying feeling overcome him. Courage, he thought, maybe that’s what it feels like. He grabbed the end of the cloak and wrapped himself in it and gave James a conspiratorial smile, now completely hidden._ _

__“Let’s go.” They said, almost in unison. They snickered a bit and moved through the doorway of the Third Year dormitory._ _


	6. Merlin’s Saggy Balls Sack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by Shadow_Writer03. Seriously, thank you so much.
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, JK Rowling does. But if I did, I never would have killed Hedwig. That broke my little 8 year old heart.
> 
> Extra note: rude language* that could be considered swearing
> 
> *see title

_“Remember your station. Do not stoop below it lest you lose the respect of your peers.” _  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__

__It took a while for them to establish a rhythm. It was not easy to move under the cloak without a stray foot or elbow being seen, but with a few helpful hints from James they were off down the stairs towards the common room._ _

__A few older students were still awake, and the pandemonium of earlier had subsided substantially. They were lounging on the armchairs near the fire, chatting quietly. There were one or two giggling couples in the shadowy parts of the room. No one noticed the portrait hole swing quietly forwards, and the fat lady merely dozed in her frame._ _

__The castle wasn’t any less beautiful at night, but it was far more eerily still and quiet. The portraits that seemed charming earlier now loomed over them. The suits of armour looked like teachers in the corner of his eye, and the hallways were more confusing than ever._ _

__Even James seemed to get confused about where he was going. The staircase for the most direct route to the kitchens was resolutely stuck connecting on the second and third floors, so they had to take a detour through the East Wing, but, when they walked through it, they seemed to be near the trophy room. James swore that it was on the third floor, not the sixth, and the East Wing was most definitely on the sixth floor of the castle._ _

__James let the invisibility cloak fall as they walked into the huge room full of cups and trophies of varying sizes and color._ _

__“Don’t tell Remus I got lost. He doesn’t believe me that things in the castle move around. They do!” He got frustrated and kicked the wall under a painting of Brutus Scrimgeour. It made a hollow chunking sound that echoed not in the room, but behind it._ _

__Sirius immediately started tapping the portrait and the wall behind it with his wand._ _

__“What are you doing?” James hadn’t noticed the discrepancy._ _

__Sirius spoke without turning his attention from the wall. “It’s hollow, James. See?” He kicked it again, so it made the same sound._ _

__James’s eye grew wide and he started tapping the wall on the opposite side of the portrait form Sirius._ _

__They tried Aberto and Alohomora to no avail. James wanted to try Bombarda but Sirius thought that would make too much noise._ _

__“What about...” James tapped the portrait three times and said in a whisper, “Aparecium.”_ _

__Words appeared on the bottom of the frame. They read, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”_ _

__Sirius read the inscription out loud. Nothing happened. James tried saying it backwards and in pig latin. Still nothing._ _

__Sirius remembered the password to the Gryffindor common room. That was in Latin. Real latin, not pig latin. They taught Latin at Durmstrang, not that he was any good at it, Sirius thought. He only achieved an Exceeds Expectations. Mother raged when he got his marks at the end of the year._ _

__Cautiously, Sirius said, “Beati legatus?” A slight quiver came from the portrait._ _

__“Beati medium.” Same quiver._ _

__“Beati pacificator?” The portrait swung open, but quickly shut at the end of the last word._ _

__“How about- Beati pacifici?” The portrait opened and stayed open, showing the two boys a dimly lit staircase leading downwards._ _

__James hurried to collect the neglected cloak and thrust it over two of them, dragging Sirius with him down the dusty staircase._ _

__As they walked down, James said, “I’ve known there were secret passageways, the seventh years always boast about finding them, but when you ask them were they are, they clam up about it. I don’t believe they actually know where they are. I can’t believe we found one.”_ _

__He turned to Sirius, “Nice job, mate.” He seemed sincere; he wasn’t joking. Everytime Sirius had heard ‘nice job’ it had been a sarcastic blow attempting to strip him of his confidence after he had already failed at some task that was supposed to be easy._ _

___“Nice job, mate.” _  
Maybe this year isn’t going to be so bad after all…__ _ _

____They reached a dead end with a faint trace of an ovular seam in the stone wall. James practically ran at the wall and shoved his shoulder into the indentation. It swung open with great force, banging into the wall next to it, and shattering what seemed to be glass in the other side of the door. James tumbled through the hole, bringing Sirius along with them._ _ _ _

____It would have taken a simple shove to open the portal. Yet, Sirius thought, it seemed that James did not have a knack for subtlety._ _ _ _

____They popped up quickly, and thrust the cloak back over themselves, waiting with bated breath for a teacher to come whipping around the corner at the sound of smashing glass._ _ _ _

____None came, and James used a quick Reparo on the door, which turned out to be a mirror on the other side. It was a rather grumpy mirror too. Even without the cloak, it refused to show them their reflections in the shining glass. It only huffed and remained blank. The mirror seemed not to appreciate being smashed into bits and being laced back together. Though, it was a rather skilled spell. James must have a lot of practice with it._ _ _ _

____“This is the fourth floor. Definitely the fourth floor. That grumpy mirror refused to show Aubrey Clearwater her reflection when she criticized its frame and that was near the library, and its on the fourth floor. And, we only walked down one flight of stairs. Wow, I’ve got to tell the other two about this. Just wow.” James said all this pulling at his hair with a bemused and bewildered expression on his face, staring at the blank mirror. Sirius wondered if James ever ripped a few hairs out with how often he messed with and pulled on it. He also wondered when they would be getting to the kitchens because the pit in his stomach was growing exponentially._ _ _ _

____He prodded James lightly with his foot so that it could have been mistaken for an accident. James understood though and started to lead them both down more flights of stairs until they got to the Entrance Hall._ _ _ _

____James walked toward the Gryffindor hourglass in the room. “We haven’t won yet since I’ve been here. I think McGonagall blames- Merlin’s saggy balls sack, it was you!”_ _ _ _

____“Pardon?” Sirius thought they should leave Merlin’s privates out of this conversation._ _ _ _

____“You were with McGonagall before the Start of Term feast. You were also with that uppity purist bastard who literally got the pants charmed off of him, but in the good way.”_ _ _ _

____Sirius felt a bit faint. If James thought Wilfred was an ‘uppity purist bastard’, he should meet some of his other cousins, Bella and Cissa came to mind. He was the same as the rest of them. Right?_ _ _ _

____“You got chewed out by McGonagall! Didn’t you? For charming the pants off that tosser? And saving Rachel O’Donnough! That’s why you weren’t at the Feast! Blimey, man, why didn’t you tell me? That was a brilliant move. You should have seen the look on his face. Mortified, he was.”_ _ _ _

____Sirius let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. James was wrong about why he was with McGonagall, but Sirius let him believe what he wanted to believe. And, James seemed… impressed with his flash of anger and poorly thought out actions. And he thought Sirius was against ‘uppity purist bastards’ rather than one of them._ _ _ _

____James clapped him on the back and walked towards a set of stairs leading off the Entrance Hall._ _ _ _

____“I’m liking you more and more by the minute.”_ _ _ _

____“Well, with the first impression you made, one would hope that my opinion of you could only get better,” Sirius said, emboldened by James’s genial mood._ _ _ _

____Though, the comment seemed to strike a strange chord with James. Apparently Remus, and definitely not Peter, was not apat to rely with snarky comments like the ones that sometimes slipped out of Sirius’s mouth._ _ _ _

____The moment quickly passed as they approached the end of a passageway with many barrels and paintings of food. There was no door._ _ _ _

____James got out from under the cloak and looked over his shoulder at Sirius’s disembodied head and shoulders._ _ _ _

____The devilish stand-off grin was back._ _ _ _

____He reached out to a green pear in one of the paintings and started tickling it. There was a faint giggle that grew into a hearty chuckle coming from the direction of the pear. When its laughing reached its pinnacle, the pear turned into a large green doorknob._ _ _ _

____James pushed the door open and gestured for Sirius to follow him._ _ _ _

____They had a split second to take in a high ceilinged room with a large fireplace and numerous shining pots and pans before a torrent of squeaky voiced house-elves overcame James and, to a lesser extent, Sirius._ _ _ _

___Does James Potter want custard creams?”_ _ _

____Potter, Potter. Sirius knew that name from somewhere._ _ _ _

______“Or does he want pumpkin pasties?”  
“No, no, butterbeer for a Start of Term party?”  
“Should we put up streamers for Mr. Potter?”  
“And punch? Phemlin knows James Potter likes cherry punch.”  
“And lots of crisps. Gryffindors like crisps, they do.”  
“And a new Gryffindor with James Potter.  
“Mr. Potter’s friends are good. Yes, yes.”  
“What is your name Mr. James Potter’s friend?” 

____Sirius felt the pressure of hundreds of small round eyes on him._ _ _ _

____“Sirius Black the Third.”_ _ _ _

____“A noble name,” shouted one elf in the back of the crowd. The rest just stared at him and drew closer to James._ _ _ _

____“What would James Potter want from us?”_ _ _ _

____James’s face was filled with joy at seeing all these little elves around him. His smile was not devilish. It was soft and true._ _ _ _

____He sat down so he could address them all at eye level, “Actually, I come bearing an apology before my request.”_ _ _ _

____The house elves drew even closer to him, if that was even possible. They would be sitting on his lap next. They all watched James with rapt attention, even revelry on their faces._ _ _ _

____“I burned up one of your beautiful four posters in Gryffindor Tower. I’m very sorry. I never meant to ruin it, and I know how much extra work it makes for you, especially after the Feast tonight. But we do need a new one tonight so my friend here has a place to sleep. Do you think you can do that for me?”_ _ _ _

____They were all nodding adamantly. A few had already Disapperated._ _ _ _

______“Of course, James Potter.” “We have a few extra in storage.”  
“Get the flannel sheets.”  
“And remember new hangings.” 

____James patted the floor next to him and looked at Sirius. He sat down awkwardly. He had never talked to Kreacher like this, maybe that’s why his dress shirts always had strange creases in them._ _ _ _

____“My friend, Sirius, had to skip dinner today. He is very hungry. Aren’t you, Sirius?” James nudged him with an elbow._ _ _ _

____“Um, yes, very.”_ _ _ _

____“What would you like them to do?” James’s eyebrows were raised._ _ _ _

____“I would like… some roast beef… and potatoes? Please! Er, if it’s not too much. I’ll take leftovers from the Feast?” James nodded in approval._ _ _ _

____The elf that had shouted about his name was already fixing something when he had mentioned roast beef. But, the rest looked thoroughly surprised when he said please and a few looked faint when he said he would take leftovers._ _ _ _

____There was a torrent of motion as meat appeared out of nowhere and a mountain of already chopped vegetables were put on the fire to roast._ _ _ _

______“No leftovers for Sirius Black.” “Potatoes and celery and carrots”  
“Hufflepuff recipe, it is.” 

____A few minutes later Sirius and James were nestled in a corner of the room at a small, cozy table. A full plate of the most delicious roasted meats and vegetables lay before Sirius, and a goblet of cherry punch and a bowl of sour cream crisps were in front of James._ _ _ _

____They happily ate in silence until Sirius felt too full to move. He had never had food this good._ _ _ _

____“Would Sirius Black like some pudding?”  
“No, I-”_ _ _ _

____“-Not right now, Ecki,” James interrupted Sirius, and gave him a look that told him refusal was a misstep, “But we would love take some back to the dormitory.”_ _ _ _

____Ecki toddered a way, happily collecting pastries and fudge in his arms._ _ _ _

____The other house-elves offered them numerous sweets on their way out of the kitchens. James accepted as many as could fit in his pockets and thanked them over and over with each treat he received. Sirius followed his lead._ _ _ _

______“Goodbye James Potter and Sirius Black.” “Take a pasty.”  
“And a custard cream.”  
“I have a treacle tart.”  
“Have a good night’s sleep.”  
“We set up your bed!”  
“See you soon.” 

____Soon they were out in the quiet and dark hallway, arms full of every imaginable treat. This made it rather comical when James rounded on Sirius, raising his wand, and losing a few sweet buns along the way._ _ _ _

____“If you ever tell the Gryffindor girls that I talk to the elves like that, I will hex you to do an Irish jig until you die.” His expression was very serious almost pleading, but it was undercut with the lollipop he had stuck behind his ear._ _ _ _

____Sirius stifled a laugh and pulled a solemn face, something he was surprisingly good at. “Swear on Merlin’s saggy balls sack I won’t tell anyone.”_ _ _ _

____Another sweet bun dropped from James’s arms and rolled towards Sirius, bumping him in the foot._ _ _ _

____They both burst out in hysterical fits of laughter. Sirius cast a quick Silencing charm on the both of them as sweets rained down from their arms._ _ _ _

____After they recovered, they collected the sweets quickly and threw the invisibility cloak over themselves. Their initial raucous bursts of laughter were probably loud enough to attract some attention._ _ _ _

____Moving with sweets in their arms made it even harder to maneuver under the cloak than before, but they still made good time. The staircase with the most direct route back to Gryffindor Tower had come unstuck and hastened their retreat back to the safety of their dormitory._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____The Fat Lady chided them a bit when they appeared, seemingly out of thin air and a little out of breath, right in front of her portrait, and practically yelled the password, badly mispronounced in their hurry to get inside._ _ _ _

____“What was that dears? I do not open for clumsy mouthed rule breakers who awaken me at such a late hour.” Her words were harsh, but the tone was not._ _ _ _

____“Fortuna praemisit,” Sirius said again, very clearly and with excellent pronunciation, believing wholeheartedly in the message of the words._ _ _ _

____What did Wilfred’s flowery French matter? Nothing. It got him nowhere, other than being viewed as a prick. Sirius knew a language much better and far more useful than French._ _ _ _

____Latin opened many doors for him here at Hogwarts._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fortuna praemisit means means "good fortune ahead" in latin. But I used Google translate, so if there are errors, blame Google, not me. Please. I am small.


	7. Family Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beted by Shadow_Writer03! You're amazing. Thank you fo helping me look like I know how to spell words! Because I can't!
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. If I did, Potttermore wouldn't keep giving me spilt answers on the Sorting Hat quiz each time I take it. Am I a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor??? Tell me!!!
> 
> Sorry this update took so long! It's a long chapter, I hope that makes up for it. 
> 
> Extra note: Racism and swearing warnings

_“With your marks, your friends, your demeanor, even your clothes, you represent our family at all times. Uphold the values we hold dear. ” _  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__

__The light from the common room fire had dimmed to a pleasant amber glow, and the room was now completely empty._ _

__Sirius and James made their way up to their dormitory stairs quietly, but, when they reached the door for the third years, James kicked it open._ _

__He shouted at the two beds with drawn curtains, “Wake up boys! I’ve got some news for you! Also, stick somethin’ up your bloomin’ arse Remus ‘cause I’m RIGHT about the moving rooms!”_ _

__Sirius winced at volume and vulgarity of James’s proclamation, but couldn’t keep a smile off his face as Remus’s bleary eyes and bed head appeared from behind the hangings._ _

__“What is it this time, James?” Remus rubbed his eyes and staggered a bit as he extracted himself from his bed, but his eyes grew wide and much more awake as he noticed the load of sweets in their arms._ _

__Sirius dropped his pile on the bedside table between his and Remus’s bed._ _

__“I see the house-elves were generous this evening,” Remus commented, watching Sirius retrieve all the other sweets from various pockets in his robes._ _

__“I’ve got much better news than some stinking sweets!” James quickly deposited his pile onto his bed and made a running jump onto Remus’s bed, almost colliding with the headboard when he landed._ _

__Another roll of Remus’s eyes told Sirius that bed diving was a common occurrence for James._ _

__Peter walked over to them, still half asleep and munching on a cinnamon roll, and plopped himself right next to James, sitting on Remus’s pillows. Remus sighed and laid down on his stomach facing James with his feet resting on the footboard._ _

__They all looked expectantly at Sirius who was awkwardly leaning on his new four poster. He sat with his legs crossed on the very edge of the bed, careful not to touch Remus. He was very aware of their proximity._ _

__James told the story of their night with much more bravado and flair than it actually warranted. He made Sirius out to be more of a side kick, but did end up giving him credit for the password to the passageway. He barely told of the house-elves at all, and skipped over their burst of laughter outside the kitchens in favor of a loud bang made by the painting swinging shut. Their hurried retreat back to the corridor became a chase through a labyrinth, pursued by an unseen force, and, finally, James told them of his unbridled charm used to influence the Fat Lady into opening the portrait hole without alerting the whole castle._ _

__By the end of the story, Sirius was worried that both Remus and Peter’s eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. Peter had his eyes open so wide he could practically see his optic nerve, and Remus’s excessive eye rolling waas getting out of hand._ _

__‘Well,” Remus said, “I’m interested in this so-called ‘secret passageway’, but I won’t believe it until I see it. That is, after I’ve had a decent night’s sleep.” He shooed them all off of his bed with a kick aimed at James and gentle pushes for Peter and Sirius. His hands were cold, Sirius noticed, but it wasn’t an altogether unpleasant feeling._ _

__James fell into bed after taking off only his shoes and his school robe and fell immediately asleep after his head hit the pillow. It didn’t look as if he had moved any of the treats off of his bed either._ _

__Sirius, though, took a bit longer. He liked his pompous silk pajamas, even if they had his family crest on them. He quickly undressed, threw his dirty clothes in the laundry shoot, and returned his shoes and new tie, now decked out in Gryffindor colors, to his trunk. He was just about to haphazardly throw them in, (Organization was not his strong suit. Mother hated it) when he noticed his set of Slytherin ties. Except, they weren’t green and silver anymore. They were the same vibrant deep burgundy and gold as the tie McGonagall had charmed hours earlier._ _

__Sirius frantically checked all his robes. The Slytherin crest that had been imbued on them was gone too, replaced with golden roaring lions He had no idea how she’d done it. He hadn’t asked her the charm the whole lot, but Sirius knew that Professor McGonagall had somehow fixed all his silk ties and robes for him. He could no longer feel his Mother’s magic on the fabrics._ _

__A warm feeling accompanied Sirius to bed and continued throughout all his dreams that night._ _

__:::::::_ _

__

__Sirius awoke with a start. James ripped open his hangings, still wearing his rumped clothes from yesterday, and thumped him with his own pillow, torn out from under his head._ _

__The boy seriously had no boundaries when it came to his friends possessions. First Sirius’s bed, then Remus’s bed, then Sirius’s pillow. It must be Peter’s turn next, or maybe Remus again if it was a pattern._ _

__Wait...friends? Were they..?_ _

__“Wake up, O Wise Latin Speaker! Remus is a tosser and woke the rest of us up early so we could show him the secret passageway he doesn’t believe in before breakfast. You have to come with us ‘cause you’re the one who speaks in tongues.” James chucked the pillow back down onto the bed and bounded out of the room, presumably in pursuit of a shower. At least, Sirius hoped that was the case, because James smelled like a thirteen year old boy. That is to say, Very Bad._ _

__Sirius briefly noted that the house-elves had made a bed of burnt hangings for James Jr. in the corner of the room as he turned to look out the window without getting out of bed. Light was barely peeking over the mountains. It was far too early to be out of bed, Sirius thought. With a grumble, he rolled out of bed, and walked in the direction in which James had hurtled down the hallway, which he hoped to be the direction of the showers. He smelled Very Bad as well._ _

__After his shower he carefully pulled on his new robes and tied his tie. He looked at himself in the mirror in the bathroom as he was slicking down his hair. Red was a better color for him than green, he thought. It gave his skin more color._ _

__Sirius looked at James’s pile of clothes, and was slightly surprised. Within his pile, Sirius recognized many expensive brands. Bonne Journée dress shirt and pants from Madame Malkin's shop in Paris, dragonhide shoes with Asian characters that Sirius recognized to be a top of the line brand in Japan, and a silk tie from the same shop Mother had bought his tie, Flickerwork’s Accessories for the Well-Dressed Wizard. It suggested to same kind of wealth that the Black family boasted, but Sirius knew that “Potter” was not one of the numerous wizarding names he had been forced to remember from a young age. Would James’s wealth make him a more suitable friend in his mother’s eyes? He knew Peter was not so wealthy, and most likely a half blood. There was a football poster next to his bed. And, Remus’s family either didn’t care that his pajamas had holes in the armpits, or couldn’t afford to care about such a small detail._ _

__A letter would be arriving soon. He would know how she felt soon enough about his dorm mates._ _

__James stumbled out of the shower with a towel around his waist. Sirius practically ran out of the room, a blush growing on his cheeks. He hated sharing spaces like this._ _

__Sirius walked back into the dorm, hoping to nibble on one of his elf sweets before they left the dormitory, to find that his pile of treats from last night had shrunk considerably. He never would have been able to finish them himself, but James could have at least asked. But, James was still in the bathroom. So who…?_ _

__Sirius noticed that Remus had a smear of chocolate on the corner of his mouth. It was rather dissonant to see the uptight boy who was preparing for the day in a busy, orderly way with some stolen chocolate on his cheek. He hadn’t thought Remus the type for stealing all is chocolate croissants._ _

__Sirius prepared his bag for the day along with Remus in silence. A bubble of uncertainty that had been forgotten in the night resurged in the pit of his stomach._ _

__These classes were new territory for him. Hogwarts didn't offer Latin or any foreign language, much to Mother’s distaste. She compromised by making him take the incredibly difficult sounding Study of Ancient Runes. Mother had chosen both his electives, the other being Care of Magical Creatures. She had chosen the class by default after eliminating it from the other choices on the list. She cringed at the thought of Muggle Studies being taught at a wizarding school, scoffed at the mention of Divination, and laughed at Sirius when he had mentioned Arithmancy as a subject he found interesting. It was too difficult for him to understand, she said._ _

__But, the class Sirius was the most concerned with was Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was two years behind in the class, as Durmstrang taught the Dark Arts as a mandatory section in the curriculum. It was one of the reasons, other than the exclusion of Mudbloods, that Mother wanted to send Regulus and Sirius to Durmstrang in the first place. Sirius had only ever learned the theory of the Dark Arts, as only fourth years were allowed to practice practical magic, but it was one of his best subjects. He had received an Outstanding every year._ _

__The Dark Arts both repulsed and fascinated Sirius. It thrived the darkest and most primal desires and fears of wizards and witches who wielded it. Boggarts and dementors fed off of fear and revulsion. Werewolves were created by attack, and lived lives of pain. Each spell needed the true intent to maim, manipulate, or kill. Dark potions required ingredients obtained by force. Those who practiced and were skilled at the subject radiated a raw personal power that Sirius envied. He wanted some of the confidence and prowess that came with practice of the Dark Arts like everyone else in his family._ _

__Studying Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed like refusing the opportunity to increase in knowledge. It felt like remission to Sirius. He already knew he was going to be lousy at the subject._ _

__Sirius shoved his last textbook into his bag just as James walked into the room with messy hair that seemed worse for wear after attempted primping. Remus noticed that all of them were in order hurried all of them out of the dorm. Peter snagged another slightly squashed cinnamon roll off of James’s bed as they were leaving._ _

__Soon they were out of the quiet Common Room and making their way through the castle, still silent and magnificent in the morning light. When they got to the East Wing, the trophy room was not there. There was only a blank stretch of wall where the doorway had been. James cursed and kicked the wall just as he had done the night before._ _

__“Fine. We’ll go to the third floor and see if it’s there.” James stomped off in a huff, and Remus trailed after him with a bemused expression on his face. Sirius walked beside Peter, who, like him, was more than happy to watch this whole scenario play out in front of him than take part in it._ _

__But, the trophy room wasn’t on the third floor either._ _

__“Well… that certainly is… an interesting development,” Remus admitted begrudgingly._ _

__“Seeeeee! Do you see what I mean?! Arugh! It’s like the castle is playing tricks on me! The harder I try to understand the layout of this place, the less sense everything makes,” James was pulling on his hair so forcefully that a few strands finally did come out._ _

__“Maybe… maybe that’s how it works though?” Sirius said hesitantly._ _

__They were all staring at Sirius with dawning expressions of understanding and excitement._ _

__Remus spoke first, “It is a magical building, a magical _school _. It makes complete sense that there would have been some magical challenge imbued into it by the founders. Well, perhaps just Ravenclaw; she would value that type of difficult puzzle for the students to figure out. Wit beyond measure, yeah?” He was almost shaking with excitement. It was the most enthusiastic Sirius had seen him yet, granted they had only known each other for less than a day, but Remus seemed like the type who didn’t let most things affect him.___ _

____James was buzzing with excitement as well. “But maybe it’s Gryffindor. He valued daring and courage. It’s not like this castle is very safe. Remember last year when Peter almost fell out of the Astronomy Tower because of that door that lead to nowhere? Just a steep drop over the lake.”_ _ _ _

____Peter went pink and played with the strap of his bag. “It usually leads to the supply closet.”_ _ _ _

____“But that’s exactly what we mean. You were thinking about where the supply closet was, instead of just going there, right?”_ _ _ _

____“Umm… could you rephrase the question, James?” Peter waas very lost._ _ _ _

____Remus swooped in. “What we’re saying is that the castle deliberately challenges you when you question it, like McGonagall in class. But when you don’t think about _how _to get somewhere, and you just think about needing to be there, the castle makes it easy for you to find the Great Hall or the Potions Dungeon.”___ _ _ _

______“Well, yeah, my telescope is always breaking, and I need new lenses or something. Sinestra gets so impatient with me always needing something, so she makes me go there myself, just gives me the key and tells me to get the part myself. I always get nervous about breaking stuff in that closet.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“So, you’re thinking about it, and the castle moves it.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, I guess so. But that’s the only time I can think of. The rest of the time I get around fine.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, you’re not thinking about _how _to get somewhere. But, then you miss out on important stuff. It doesn’t show you secret passageways and moving rooms that way. James, you and Sirius had to figure out the passageway behind Scrimgeour, yeah?”___ _ _ _ _ _

________Sirius nodded along with James, ‘Yeah, there was no way we would have found it without me kicking the wall and Sirius noticing the echoes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Remus was pacing up and down. “So the castle doesn’t make it too hard. It allows you to find things if you’re smart enough. There’s got to be patterns or constants in this to help you figure it out.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Peter piped up in a small voice. “What about the mirror? You said it was on the… fourth floor, right? Maybe that’s the constant.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________James ran up to Peter and gave him an appreciative nuggie. “You wonderful human. Sometimes you’re not so dim-witted after all.” Peter looked like he was going to explode out of happiness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They all ran up the the fourth floor, and sure enough, the grumpy mirror was still there. It still refused to show James and Sirius on its glass._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________James pulled on the frame of the mirror and the doorway opened, showing them all the stairway leading upwards. Though, there was no sign on the dusty stairs that James and Sirius had disturbed the coating of grey at all. The passageway was silent and still._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They all climbed the stairs and pushed, gently this time, on the back of the frame. It swung open to reveal the trophy room on the other side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That’s the third floor! We went _up _stairs from the fourth floor, and now we’re on the third floor? The trophy room wasn’t even here five minutes ago!” Remus looked astonished and even a little bit angry. Sirius prefered frazzled Remus to collected and calm Remus, he realized. He also went pink at the thought, turning away from the rest of the group.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It’s magic, mate,” James said, pulling Remus into a sideways hug and twinkled his fingers in the other boy’s face, “Don’t question it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________When they were on their way to the Great Hall, Sirius was struck with a thought, “Do you think it’ll move again, since we’ve figured it out?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Remus’s face was once again calm, but a pleasant puzzled expression came over him, “I think it will still move, but we know how to handle it now.” He clapped Sirius on the shoulder quickly and moved forwards to walk with James. Remus’s hands were still a little cold._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Just as they were about to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, Sirius was practically ambushed by Regulus, who pulled him into a hug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Was so worried, I was, when I didn’t see you in the Great Hall during the Sorting. But, I’m in Slytherin, just as Mother said I would be. I have the best dorm mates. Most are of the right sort, only one’s a halfblood but at least he’s quiet. And when Bella said Dromeda said you were a stinking Gryff? Blimey, is Bella-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Stinking Gryff, ay?” James had a dark look on his face. All of the welcoming charm Sirius had encountered the previous night was gone, replaced with an intimidating stance. “Think you’re better than us, ya first year Snake?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Regulus’s faced stoned. He released Sirius and straightened his tie while saying, “A Potter, I believe. Well, such a temper does run in your family. I remember your dear uncle met his end when his anger got the best of him. He spontaneously combusted in 1965, if I remember correctly. I do hope you don’t take after him.” Regulus was a smaller, younger, but no less intimidating reflection of Mother._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________James’s face was coloring, and thin streams of steam were rising from his ears after Regulus’s words. “Who you think you are to insult my family, you green bellied worm?” Sirius could feel the intensity of James’s magic in the waves of heat that were radiating off of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius was between them, mute and slightly afraid._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“A proper pureblood. A sacred one, in fact.” Regulus looked so smug, looking up into the eyes of a much more powerful and angry boy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Flames danced on James arms and steam poured out of his ears as he advanced on Regulus, knocking Sirius aside. Remus and Peter looked panicked. “You little elitist shit. You lord it over us don’t you? With your colonialistic rubbish. My family is nothing to you because you spent hundreds of years seeing us as nothing but servants.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Regulus tripped over the back of his robes as he was attempting to get away from James and fell so that James loomed over him. His smug look faltered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Now shouting James said, “It was a Muggle war. Muggle evasion. Muggle ideas. Yet you have the fucking nerve to-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Mr. Potter! You are reminded that magic is not allowed in the corridors. Get yourself under control. And threatening a first year on the first day of class? 10 points from Gryffindor.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda Black was standing on the top of stairs leading to the dungeons with a look of fury on her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________James rounded on her, flaming anger still in full affect. “He insulted my family. He’s a tiny pompous git.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Another 5 points from Gryffindor for foul language. That ‘tiny pompous git’ is my cousin, and, if you don’t want your house to be 20 points in the negative, I would clear off as soon as possible if I were you.” Andromeda took a few intimidating steps toward James, looking much more like her twin sister than Sirius had ever seen her in her anger._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________James turned on his heel, muttering under his breath in a language Sirius did not recognize. Remus and Peter followed at a distance, looking questioningly back at Sirius._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He was stuck in place, torn between following James and staying to help Regulus off the ground._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda made his decision for him though. She barked, “Sirius. You. Stay.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She flicked her wrist in the smallest of jerks in James’s direction. Sirius was sure that the rain cloud that appeared in the Great Hall and drenched James had nothing to do with the stormy skies it reflected of the weather outside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda helped Regulus off the ground. “Did he hurt you?” she said in a much softer voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No,” Regulus said begrudgingly, “but he was-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________At the knowledge that he was not hurt, Andromeda’s icy tones returned.“I don’t care what he did. You insulted him, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, I-I,” Regulus, for once in his life, was lost for words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda rounded on Sirius, “Did he?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius was sweating profusely. He did not want to be in the middle of this. He wanted to be back at Durmstrang were he knew everybody, and everybody knew him. No one fought over blood like this at Durmstrang because everyone was somehow related. He never had to pick a side. He was always among family._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Icy wind was forming at his feet. He could kick himself. He wasn’t in control. Mother drilled him on control._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It whipped around him, tossing his robes this way and that. Andromeda raised an eyebrow, staring at the bottom of his robes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The magic was taking control. He could feel it churning inside him. Once he let it out if it’s contained box in his chest, there was no telling what it would do. It did things like vanish the trousers of his cousin and make him go on midnight adventures with strangers he barely knew._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He could feel it forcing its way up his throat, and made him choke out, “Y-yeah, he did.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Immediately the wind stopped growing and the churning stopped. The lid was slammed back in the box. Sirius was breathing like he had just played an entire Quidditch game._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Regulus looked surprised and hurt. It was the first time Sirius had not lied for him. He had never hesitated to fib to anyone and everyone for Regulus, even Mother. Why would that change now?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda rounded on Regulus, “You need to learn when to shut your mouth. At Hogwarts, your family can only get you out of so much trouble. If it were McGonagall instead of me, Slytherin would have lost points too. She’s brutally fair, that woman. Potter is quick to anger and arrogant, but people like him. If you make enemies with him, you make enemies with over half the school. Understand?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Regulus nodded and quickly made his way to the Slytherin table._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda addressed Sirius in a lower voice, pulling him towards the hourglasses in the corner on the Hall to draw less attention to them. More students were making their way to the breakfast._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“How was your first night? Did you have any trouble? Is James less of an ass to other Gryffindors than he is to Slytherins?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius replied, “Yeah, they were really welcoming. There was no trouble.” He saw no reason to tell her about the fire crab asleep in the dorm. There was no reason to worry her, really…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tension left her shoulders and she seemed more relaxed. “Okay, good. Auntie insisted I write to her about you. I couldn’t say no, Sirius, I know she’s going to be horrid about this, but the best you can do is keep moving forward. You’re a brave and just person. Sirius. You’re not a Slytherin. I’ve known it since we were little. Don’t let Auntie make you into someone you’re not.” She spoke the last words hurriedly and looked around the Hall, wary of other students’ prying eyes and ears._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius felt a weight lifted from his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I suggest making friends with James, Remus, and Peter. They’re not our kind, but they’re good people. James is arrogant, but gets good marks and is popular. For good reason, too, he’s very kind when he wants to be. Remus is the one of the wisest people of his age, I gather. He keeps James under control, well, as much as he can. Peter seems loyal to the both of them to the core. If you take time to get to know him, I bet he will be that way for you too.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andromeda’s kind eyes raked his face for some sort of reaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You’ll be okay here, Sirius, I promise. I’m here if you ever need anything.” She squeezed his upper arm and left him to eat breakfast._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius felt emboldened. He marched up to the Gryffindor table and was about to sit down next to James before he was stopped by Remus’s voice was low, like a growl._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That was your brother.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes, very perceptive of you.” Sirius said cooly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You’re a Black.” Peter piped up, almost excitedly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“So you’re a git like them, are you?” James said to his plate full of mostly bacon with gritted teeth. He was still slightly damp from Andromeda’s rain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m at the Gryffindor table with a red tie around my neck, speaking to you, arent I?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Remus nodded stiffly. Peter grinned at him. James looked up from his plate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Want some pumpkin juice, Sirius?” James said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sirius smiled, nodded, and sat down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make desi James a thing. If I made/make mistakes, please do tell me. I will change them if they're offensive or inaccurate. I'm sorry if I offend anyone.
> 
> (Also I know that Andromeda and Bellatrix are not twins in canon but I wanted them both to be at Hogwarts at the same time as Sirius. Harry even says they look very similar in the books, so that _could _have implied identitcal twins...)__


	8. Toujours Pur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Shadow_Writer03
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does. 
> 
> Let's not talk about how long it took me to write this chapter....

_“It is not so late in the school year that you can ashew the growing inappropriate relationships are fostering, and maintain your relationships with your cousins and their friends.”_  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The four of them ate breakfast quietly and spoke only in brief snippets, asking for the tea kettle or the plate of scones. Peter was annoyingly attentive to Sirius. He poured his tea for him, and asked more than once if he would like more sausage. James looked over his schedule with increasing worry growing on his face. Remus looked idly into space, staring at the stormy ceiling of the Great Hall. 

The here and there chatter of students grew to a dull roar as they ate. Soon they were surrounded by the cacophony of Gryffindors shouting about their schedules and new gossip that had sprouted overnight. In the middle of it all, they were a bubble of stillness and silence. It wasn’t altogether pleasant though. It was like they didn’t know how to talk to each other anymore even though it had been so easy to talk last night. 

The silence came shattering down as Lily Evans plopped herself down next to Sirius with Severus behind her looking like he’d rather eat bubotuber pus than follow suit. 

She was wearing the same daisy earrings as yesterday but had ditched the bell bottoms for some knee high brown boots that were definitely not up to uniform code and clashed horribly with her bright orange tights and red Gryffindor tie. She looked utterly ridiculous and so… muggle… even in her school robes. 

“Morning Sirius! C’mon Sev. Sit. They have scones this morning.” 

Severus wrinkled his nose, “I think I’ll sit at my table this morning, Lily. Shouldn't you be there too? Your brother is there.” He addressed Sirius.

James stiffened.

Sirius quickly countered, “I’m not actually. Obviously.” He gestured towards his tie. 

“I see.” Severus scowled and stomped off towards the other end of the hall.

Lily rolled her eyes and rose to follow him. “Later, Sirius. Have DADA first thing?” 

Sirius had already memorized his schedule by heart this morning, but pulled it out of his bag anyway to check it. He didn’t know why he had told her. He could have easily feigned deafness and let their budding friendship slowly fade. He hadn’t asked for Lily’s friendship, but she just kind of… thrust it on him. 

In spite of himself, Sirius said, “Yeah. All Gryffindor third years do, right?”

“Talk then!” She said hurrying away. He found that, yes, he would like to talk to her later, but maybe in not such a public place as the Great Hall. He knew people were watching. 

James bit into a biscuit and egg sandwich as he watched Lily follow Severus to the Slytherin table and scowled through the mass in his mouth. “I think if he scrunched up his face one more time, it would stick like that.” 

He turned to Sirius, “Do you know Evans?”

“We met on the carriages, so not really, but she’s nice.”

“Nice?!” James scoffed, “She’s a right nutter. First, she’s friends with Snivellus, so that would take a crazy person to do. But she’s also a muggle born, and not even a normal one. She had her parents owl her these pen things and parchment bound in stacks instead of scrolls. She doesn’t understand or even care about Quidditch. And she has weird clothes like those huge pants she wore at the Feast yesterday. Worst of all, she’s a redhead.” James said all this while staring intently at Lily’s back from across the room.

These just seemed like the normal ravings of a mudbl- mug- _her kind_. They were all strange. Sirius didn’t understand James’s adamant dislike of Lily purely for a few personality quirks and red hair. 

“What I don’t understand,” Remus said, “is why those two are even friends.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Peter said, bewildered.

They all turned to look at him.

“Well, Lily’s muggleborn, and Severus is a halfblood. They both had bad experiences with muggles, so they bonded over their magical abilities as children. She feels indebted to him, and he can’t make any other friends due to trust issues”

“How the hell do you know all that?” James said, slack jawed. 

“It’s all there.” Peter gestured vaguely in the direction of the Slytherin table, shrugged, and went back to preparing himself a very sugary and milky tea. Perhaps Sirius had been underestimating his new friend’s intellectual ability.

Remus smiled slightly through his floppy hair at Peter next to him and asked all of them about what electives they had chosen that year.

All four of them had Care of Magical creatures together. James and Peter had chosen Divination, and Sirius and Remus both had Ancient Runes. 

They were still discussing their classes when the Black family screech owl, Auriga, landed right in front of Sirius. She stared at him with her unsettlingly human eyes as she stuck out her leg, attached to which was a letter sealed with the Black family crest. 

Sirius took the letter, and pet her between the tuffs on her head. She inclined her head but did not make any more signs of affection. She stood stiffly, waiting for him to read the letter, and be dismissed. 

Mother’s formal cursive glared at him from the single page of the finest stationary they had in stock at the house. This particular set was put to use when Mother was very displeased about something. Most of Sirius’s letters came on lavender scented violet paper with gold embellished borders and matching gold ink. 

The offending letter said:

_To my eldest son,_

_Your great-great grandfather informed us about your choice in Hogwarts house, and your cousins have informed us about your choice in companions, mudblood or otherwise. It is not so late in the school year that you can ashew the growing inappropriate relationships are fostering, and maintain your relationships with your cousins and their friends. All of which, you are reminded, are from renowned families of pure British blood and come from backgrounds that do not have spontaneous combustion in their histories._

_While it pains us to say it, Regulus’s path is one you should follow. He is already showing himself to be apt at seeking beneficial friendships between himself and his appropriately sired peers._

_In regard to your relationship with the staff, it seems that Minerva McGonagall has positioned herself very close to you. This behavior is typical to half bloods, even the Slytherin head of house isn’t of greater stock. The new professor at Hogwarts is of nobler blood, and, while his subject matter is not of a high caliber, he shows a great amount of power and potential. You would be best suited to do well in his class._

_Remember, above all else, you are a Black. Upon our request, Bella can remind you of what lengths we will take to uphold our family name._

_Toujours Pur,_  
_Mother and Father_

She had used “us” and “we” but Sirius knew that Father probably didn’t even know his wife had sent the letter, and had signed the bottom without even looking at it. Typical. 

“Wotcha got there?” James craned his neck to look over Sirius’s shoulder. 

He folded the letter a little more quickly than was necessary, and shoved it into his bag. The last thing Sirius needed was for James to start shouting about colonialism in the Great Hall again. It would only prove Mother’s point that Sirius was making the wrong friends. He hoped, so deeply hoped, that he would prove her wrong. Lily, James, Peter, and Remus were so warm and welcoming, so willing to accept him into Gryffindor house. They were all powerful and intelligent too. James and Lily especially, you could sense their presence, magically and socially from across the room. They were more than suitable friends if you discounted her birth. But, Sirius greatly doubted that Mother would do such a thing. What lingered in his mind was the last line. Was that a threat?

“Moth- uh, _mum_ lettered to reminded me about that start of the year rubbish. Doing well in classes and all that tosh. You can go now, Auriga.” She inclined her head and took off, almost knocking over Sirius’s tea in the process.

Peter nodded sympathetically from across the table. While Sirius had been reading his letter, Peter had received one as well from the beak of what seemed to be a wood owl. He read his letter quickly, turned it over, scribbled something on the back, and gave it back to the owl.

He said, “Back to mum now, Nibs,” after patting the owl on the head. “Got the same letter as you. Happens every year like I’m going to forget to go to classes or something.”

“You did forget Transfiguration that one time,” Remus said, smiling through his fringe. 

“I didn’t forget! I fell asleep and was late. Those are two different things.”

James joined in, “What was the detention for that one? Lines or cleaning out the half transfigured rats’ cage?”

Peter shuddered, “That was only lines, thank Merlin. The rats’ cage was for when you blamed me for starting that gust of wind that flipped up Felicity Gibson’s skirt.”

“You’ve got to admit, it was a nice view though. Wasn’t it, Moony?” James’s tone was lazy, relaxed, and slightly mischievous, which was his default, but he immediately tensed and choked on the last word as if he hadn’t meant to say it. His eyes flicked to Remus with a deeply apologetic glance.

“Don’t we have Defense in a few minutes?” Remus’s voice was a little louder than normal, and it cracked on the first word. His face as flushed as he quickly stood up and collected his things. 

Moony. Was that a poorly timed behind joke? A reference to an embarrassing incident that Remus didn’t want Sirius to know about? Sirius bit back a joke. Perhaps Remus was usually the one looking up girls skirts, but, somehow, Sirius doubted it. Remus really wasn’t the type. He hoped Remus wasn’t the type. But, if it were something more serious, maybe he should fall back and ignore that it had happened. He didn’t know what to do. 

The others made up his mind for him as they agreed with Remus and gathered their things. As they were walking out of the hall, James snagged a piece of toast that Peter was just about to bite into and shoved it into his own mouth. Sirius had been right; it was Peter’s turn for James to violate personal boundaries.

They were the first ones to the door of the third floor Defense Against the Dark Arts room. 

Sirius had too much black tea that morning, and it made his nerves ten times worse. He kept checking and rechecking his bag. 

Finally, just to stave off some nerves, he addressed Remus, “What’s this professor like?” He jerked his head at the door. 

Remus shrugged. “Not sure yet. Cernoth retired last year, but he was a right loon. Three sheets to the wind that one. We spent half the time just reading in class while he hummed to himself.”

So, the DADA teacher was the new hire Mother had referenced in her letter. She must be incredibly impressed with him or else, so wouldn’t have even mentioned such a… defector, as she called them. A pureblood who eschewed the Dark Arts was a rare thing.

James said, “I heard that 50 people applied for the job, and Dumbledore only interviewed a handful of the best of the best. Cursebreakers, dragon tamers, Aurors, that sort.”

“He’s got to be the most skilled wizard in Defense in years to get this position.” Peter’s eyes twinkled. Sirius silently agreed with him. To impress Dumbledore and Mother.

“Wizard? My money’s on a witch.” Lily seemed to appear out of thin air right behind James.

He jumped and quickly rounded on her, eyes narrowing. “And what are you going to pay me with if you lose? Pretty bits of colored paper with a picture of an undeserved monarch?” 

Did he really have to gode her?

Lily rolled her eyes, “I have wizarding money you duffer. Also, not really betting against you. An expression, pea brain.” She flicked his forehead.

As she turned her back to him, Sirius caught the bewildered look in James’s eyes. He fought down the urge to laugh, and was stuck with a stupidly wide smile as Lily turned to Sirius and Remus next to her. 

“I didn’t get a chance to say it yet, Good morning Evans. Bet you got a decent night’s sleep.” Remus said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Sirius hadn’t realized that Remus had bags under his eyes this morning. 

“You should hear the tales James spins late at night about house elves attacking him with sweets and large beasts that stalk him through the castle.” Remus face was fighting to maintain its composure. 

Lily responded in kind, fighting to maintain her composure as well. “Well, I can at least verify the second story. I myself was chased by a hairball the size of a large dog last year. I think it came from James’s head.” Her clipped tones were gone, replaced by an affected posher accent, perhaps mimicking Remus’s voice. 

Clearly, this playful banter was commonplace, and not considered insulting as Sirius thought it would be. James didn’t get as angry as he had when Regulus had insulted him. He simply looked a little more sheepish than normal. 

“Sirius! Tell me ‘bout Durmstrang.” Lily demanded and looped her arm around his. 

“You went to Durmstrang?” James balked.

Sirius scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah, the last two years, and, even though I’ve only been here for less than a day, I already like Hogwarts more. It’s… brighter.”

“Why did you leave?” Remus looked inquisitive. 

Sirius faltered. How could he tell them without lying?

The large oak doors took that exact moment to swing forward, and a soft and deep voice called, “Good morning, students. Come in.”

The rush of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin third years cut off the group, so that, even though they were the closest to the door, they ended up being the last ones in the classroom. 

They seated themselves in the back of a room with sloping stone walls that ended in a high, vaulted ceiling. The wood flooring matched the wood of the two seater desks that lined in the room. At the back of the classroom was an intricate set of leaded glass windows, and at the front of the room was a set of curving stone stairs that lead up to a platform. Upon which stood a tall bald, though still young, man with dark skin and a gold earring. 

He was wearing not long, flowing robes, but a dark purple tunic with a high collar and tight sleeves with gold geometric patterns around the cuffs and down the middle of his chest. Both the tunic and the matching trousers he wore were made out of a fine, shimmering stiff material. Dyed unicorn hair, Sirius thought, to protect him from harm. Such protective clothing was expensive and hard to find, but perhaps not such a problem for a pureblood Defense master. It was maybe even a necessity when young witches and wizards were flinging around potentially dangerous jinxes. 

The professor smiled, and slowly and deliberately walked down the staircase. The students’ chatter stopped abruptly when he started speaking. He was not loud or harsh, but his voice carried across the room anyway.

“As I am sure you remember from Professor Dumbledore’s warm greeting last night, I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. While he introduced me as Professor Shacklebolt, such a title makes me old. I only finished my schooling at Hogwarts a few years ago. Please, call me Kingsley.” 

As he said the last few words, he stopped in front of the classroom, and extended his arms outwards towards the class as if offering them an embrace. 

Sirius had seen Kingsley before at family balls and feasts. He had never spoken to him personally, but knew that his family history was incredibly interesting. The family had deep ties to South Africa. Most Shacklebolt children attended both Uagadou and Hogwarts at some point in their magical schooling. Many members of the family had homes in both Great Britain and South Africa and rotated where they lived each year. They were widely respected by modern pureblood society due to their immense power and knowledge and named one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but Mother privately disapproved of their split heritage.

Now that Kingsley was a bit closer to him, Sirius noticed the immense power that was radiating off of him. It was a quiet kind of power, and easily overlooked if you weren’t looking for it due to its pleasant feeling. Sirius was used to sensing power like hitting a brick wall or jumping into a freezing lake. It was the first impression another person had of your strength, ability, and, to a lesser extent, personality. 

Mother felt like bugs crawling up your spine. Father felt distant but coursing, like a dammed river. James felt like heat on your face from an open fire. Lily felt like the tension in the air before a rainstorm. Bella felt like the darkest unknown hour of the night. McGonagall felt like a lion getting ready to strike. Dumbledore felt like the sharpest wind in a whiteout snowstorm. 

Kingsley felt like a hug only received as a very small child. The kind of hug given by a parent that envelops you entirely, leaving the feeling of complete safety. But there was something else too. A fierceness to the warmth. Protection, self sacrifice, duty. 

Sirius had never felt power quite like this before. The intensity, sure. The intensity of Dumbledore's stare alone was greater than Kingsley’s power. But Kingsley wasn’t unpleasant and intimidating. It was more like Remus. He felt like a tall and deeply rooted pine tree. Or like Andromeda who felt like eating exploding bonbons. 

Sirius looked around at the other students. Where they feeling this too? 

Kingsley continued, “I am very excited to start my tenure at this esteemed establishment. So much so, in fact, that I have halted my Auror training for the time being to teach all of you.” 

Some of the other third years were staring at Kingsley with rapt attention. Some were averting their eyes. A few were shifting around in their seats, perhaps they felt the same power. 

James, who was sitting with Peter in the desk next to Sirius and Lily, looked at Sirius and mouthed, _“Wow.”_

 _“You feel it too?”_ Sirius mouthed, pointing to James and them holding up two fingers. Both James and Peter, who had caught on, nodded enthusiastically. 

On the board, Kingsley started writing course objectives and advised them to take notes. He explained the structure of the class. Each week they would go over the theory of DADA on the earlier part of the week and practice the practical portion at the end. He would be revisiting some of the basics in the first month (The class groaned) because Cernoth’s teaching in his old age had declined. Kingsley insisted that he was a fantastic teacher when he attended Hogwarts. 

While they were writing, Lily frowned, and wrote on the corner of her paper, _“What were you and pea brain talking about?”_

 _“Him. His presence.”_ Sirius wrote. 

_“Excuse me?”_

_“Can’t you feel it?”_

_??_

_“His magic?”_

_????_

_Explain later_

_You’re both nutters_

Sirius shook his head and returned to his notes. Everyone knew that the first thing to do when meeting someone new was to evaluate their magical presence. It was one of the first things Mother… but Lily would never have learned how or why to do such a thing. Peter and, he assumed, Remus, would have learned from at least one magical parent. James and Sirius both knew the pageantry of upper class life required such a skill for survival. No one made it to the top of society by being kind and welcoming. You had to be able to sense a foul or distrustful trace. You had to know your opponents’ power in comparison to your own. 

It struck him how disconnected Lily might feel. She must have come into Hogwarts pretty much blindly. She had Severus, but he was not a replacement for a family that had been surrounded in magic for centuries. Mother had taught him simple curses like jellylegs and the full body bind the night after he had gotten his wand. He knew how to brew a simple headache cure by the age of 8, and how to de-doxie curtains the summer before he went to Durmstrang. Sirius had known magic all his life. Lily had been thrust into a world that she had no choice but to continually play catch-up. People would insult her for her eccentricities and demean her for not knowing small things they took for granted. 

Maybe that’s why she wanted to be friends with him. She sensed _otherness_ in him. The same ache that was caused by living in a society that was not built for your inclusion lived in Sirius too. He grew up in the world of magic, but there were other ways in which the world told him that he didn’t belong. 

“Class dismissed. I look forward to our next class together,” Kingsley announced. 

Sirius was pulled back to reality was his classmates shuffled papers, pushed squealing chairs back and forth, and erupted into loud chatter. His notes were all filled out, but he had no memory of the content of what he had written only the fact that he had continued to copy what Kingsley had written on the board. 

Remus approached Sirius as he was shoving her notes back into his bag, “Off to Runes, then?” Sirius’s stomach flipped upside down and turned inside out.

“Do you have Runes too, Lily?” Sirius said, hoping the answer was yes.

“No.” Lily said cheerily, “Got Potions!” She sounded very pleased with herself. 

“Don’t we have Potions after lunch today?” Sirius said. 

“You might. But I have it with the fourth years.” Lily puffed out her chest importantly. 

Remus smiled at her, “One of the brightest witches of her age. It’s the only subject he beats me in. Well, other than Defense. James beats both of us at that. See you at lunch Evans. Try not to aggravate James too much.” 

Lily turned, waved, and walked out into the busy hallway. James rushed out of the room, right on her heels, dragging Peter with him to their Divination Class. 

“Well, come on,” Remus said, and walked towards the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Toujours Pur" is the Balck family motto, and it means "always pure" in French. 
> 
> Kingsley is wearing a formal dashiki like [these](http://styleshaven.blogspot.com/2015/11/african-men-and-african-wears.html).


	9. Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Shadow_Writer03
> 
> I do not own the Harry Potter franchise; JK Rowling does because I couldn't have come up with Nagini's storyline. I'm not that ~~stupid~~ creative.
> 
> It only took two months, but I'm back!!

_Your power is limited. It is adequate for someone of the Black family. You need to learn how to block all forms of attack in just one glance. Try again. Get up. Face me. Legilimens!_  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Sirius and Remus were walking to Ancient Runes, they didn’t talk. 

Sirius suddenly felt exceedingly awkward without James there to fill the silence with witty one-offs and constant chatter. It had been different with James. They had hit it off so well. But with Remus… it hadn't been so easy. 

As they kept getting deeper and deeper into the castle, the halls fell gradually more empty and silent. And Sirius felt more and more like he should do _something_ to break the tension as he stared at the Remus out of the corner of his eye. 

Remus acted first though. Their motion suddenly halted as he spun around to face Sirius. Remus grabbed his shoulders and stared at him intently.

“Don’t think about it,” he said suddenly. 

“What?” said Sirius.

Remus’s eyes were boring into him with such severity that they seemed to be an even brighter green than the night before.

“Don’t think about how to get to the classroom. You’ll get us both lost.”

“I’m not. I was following you.”

Remus grip slacked as he looked down the corridor. It was empty except for the two of them. The walls were blank and seemed to stretch both backward and forwards as far as they could see. There were windows spaced evenly apart on one of the walls, just far enough apart to light the corridor with a dull glow. 

Remus groaned. “I was thinking about it. Now we’re going to be late to class.”

Sirius shook his head, “Not if we solve the puzzle fast enough.”

Remus’s cold hands were still on his shoulders. Sirius’s shrugged off the comfortable weight, and turned around to look behind him. 

Sirius said, “Maybe if we keep walking, it might end. Like a trick painting or an illusion spell that ends when we pass through it.”

Remus nodded and set the pace, it was even faster than the one before. 

They walked, and walked, and walked. The blank expanse in front of them didn’t seem to shrink. 

It had been a few minutes without much progress when Sirius spoke up, feeling the same need to just say _something_.

He said the worst thing he could say in this context, “So… um… that nickname James called you, ‘Moony’, I think it was.”

Remus bristled, and his pace slowed. 

“Sorry, I just thought it was some dumb nickname. Should I not…”

Sirius could kick himself instead of slowly starting off with stuff like, “Do you have any pets?” or, “What’s your favorite color?”, he had jumped straight into “Please give me the history of a clearly nuanced and perhaps unpleasant and/or personal experience that led to the emergence of a weird, butt-related nickname.” He had somehow managed to make this situation worse than before.

With a grimace, Remus said, “No, no, it’s fine… it’s this dumb thing he calls me whenever I get on his nerves or when he’s feeling particularly cheeky, which is all the time, but he knows I don’t really like it, and it’s not that it’s that horrible or anything, it’s just… not great.”

While he was rambling, Remus slowed to a stop at one of the windows and stared at the sky the same why he had done at breakfast. He was absentmindedly running his thumb over the raised flesh of a scar on his cheek. 

Sirius drew up behind him and stared in the same direction, determined to rectify the situation. “No, I get it. My cousins call me dumb names too. Mainly ‘Poofter’, but I don’t know if that’s a nickname or their favorite insult.” Self deprecation. That was funny, right?

Apparently, it was, and Remus chuckled slightly. “Not as bad as ‘arse bandit’ like James calls them. Or as bad as the American ‘faggot’.”

“I think all of them aren’t as bad as ‘family disappointment’,” Sirius said absently, and under his breath because Remus didn’t seem to be listening anymore. 

He had pressed his hands on the decoration of the glass in front of him and whispered, “Runes!”

There were, in fact, strange markings in the leaded glass, but the window panels did not hold the secret, the lead in between formed ten distinct pictures. 

Remus drew his finger through them. “Glad I did the summer reading. The demiguise in the middle, it stands for zero, and the hydra, I believe, encircling it. A nine. There are,” he paused while counting, “nine hydras. Nine nines. That stands for infinity.”

Summer reading? Sirius had no idea about that. “Zero through infinity,” he pondered, “That is fitting for this corridor.”

“Yes, but runes sometimes have double or alternative meanings depending on their combination with other characters. But, I’ve never seen one like this.”

“Well, what are some other meanings for these?”

“Hydra can mean regrowth or rebirth. Perhaps it means that this corridor is actually growing?” Remus said.

“I don’t think so. It just seems to be repeating. Hence infinity.” 

Sirius walked to the next window. There was the same cryptic pattern.

“Well, the demiguise can mean something hidden or invisible,” Remus suggested.

“Zero regrowth, hidden rebirth, invisible infinity. Hidden infinity,” Sirius mused.

“Sirius!” Remus ran up to him, his eyes sparkling and floppy hair wild around his face, “Hidden infinity! An Undetectable Extension Charm!”

Sirius gaped. “That’s really advanced magic.”

“I know the countercharm, but it requires a lot of concentration and power. Usually only OWL level charms students are able to cast it but…” Remus trailed off and looked out of the corner of his eye. 

Sirius understood, this was not something he could cast alone at his ability level. Merlin, Sirius didn’t even know the incantation, nevertheless the wand motion or theory behind it. But, perhaps he could lend something else.

He held out his hand “I-we could...” 

Remus looked at his hand, wary, “Really? Are you sure?”

Sirius nodded. Remus nodded back and firmly grabbed Sirius’s hand. They stood in the middle of the empty hallway hand in hand for a heavy moment. Remus closed his eyes and raised his wand, slowly. Then, he started casting. 

The swell of Remus’s magic blossom in the air. It swirled around their heads, ruffling their hair and smelling faintly of evergreen before it sank into Sirius’s chest. It felt like the sting of cold air inside lungs on a winter day, pulling all the warmth from that place deep within Sirius from which all his magic seemed to flow. 

Sirius didn’t fight Remus. He let go. He forgot about the control Mother ingrained into him so intensively. He let Remus into his chest and tap into his power. 

Remus shouted, “Capacious miniatura!” and a bright white light started to form around Sirius, flowed through their intertwined hands to Remus, and shot out of the tip of Remus’s wand. 

It blinded them for a moment. After blinking rapidly, a view of a short passageway ending with a painting of a skeleton in a top hat near a staircase emerged. The spell had worked. 

They turned to each other with wild smiles. 

Remus’s hand, for once, was warm. 

“Well,” the skeleton painting chattered at them, “off to class with you two. Stop holding hands and making goo goo eyes at each other. You’re late!”

Remus and Sirius jumped apart with color starting on both of their faces and hurried to the stairs.

“Pick some other corridor for your adolescent rumpy pumpy!” the painting shouted after them. 

They burst into the Ancient Runes classroom embarrassed and thoroughly disheveled.

The entire class and the professor turned on them. “Mr. Lupin and- the Black boy, I assume?”

“Yes, Professor Babbling,” Remus said. His face as still pink from the skeleton’s comment earlier. A blush was rather becoming on him. His face seemed more alive despite the dark circles under his eyes. 

Professor Babbling was a round women with short dark red hair and thick framed tortoise shell glasses. She had a long striped quill tucked behind her ear and held the textbook open in her arms. Her robes were a sensible black with a stiff upper bodice and belted waist. Her cuffs were rolled up to her elbows. 

She looked at them over her glasses and raised just one eyebrow as she said, “Why are you late?”

Her power was intimidating. She felt like the panic of taking a difficult test that you forgot to study for. 

“Got lost?” Remus said it like a question even though that’s exactly what happened. 

This answer was insufficient for Babbling. She sniffed and turned her back on them, and talked she she walked to the front of the classroom. 

“Sit down, boys. You’re lucky it’s the first day back. Next time you’re not here before I call roll, you get a detention. With Mr. Filch. I don’t like my evenings disturbed.” She stopped at the podium and turned to face the class again. “Now, where was I? Ah, Course aims.”

Babbling discussed the syllabus and gave them all a pop quiz on the runic numerals, just to see who had done the ‘suggested’ summer reading. 

Sirius knew he got zero and nine right, the other eight were complete guesses. Who does suggested reading? It’s called ‘suggested’ for a reason, right? Remus probably got full marks plus the extra credit question. 

Remus assured him, as they walked out of the classroom, that he definitely had gotten full marks plus the extra credit question correct. 

Herbology was next, Remus reminded Sirius and gave him a warm smile. Warm, like the ones he gives James and Peter. 

Sirius remembered Remus’s cold hands and wintergreen magic. Remus could very easily have been icy, closed off, and unwelcoming. The deeply rooted pine tree sensation of his presence was not unpleasant, but it had every indication of a distant person, someone unwilling to share in the little warmth they had within them. 

But here Remus was, sharing with Sirius. Sirius had no idea what to do except smile back and hope that Remus knew he understood the gift he had been given by this disheveled, scarred, tired looking, and brilliant boy. 

::::::::::

They joined James and Peter while walking down flight after flight of stairs down to the ground level and complained merrily about each of their respective teachers. 

James and Peter thought their professor was batty, while Remus and Sirius thought Babbling was going to be a tough grader. You could see it in her eyes, staring over those tortoiseshell glasses. 

Their Herbology class was uneventful, other than Sirius thinking he had seen the dirtiest a person could be without being socially unacceptable, which was, apparently, very dirty if you gardened for a living.

They had a quick lunch because Sprout had kept them late potting Flutterby cuttings, and rushed down the stairs leading down and out of the Great Hall. 

Sirius immediately hated the dungeons. They were cold and dim. The walls looked like hundreds of years of grime had soaked into them even though each stone had evidently been scrubbed clean. Sounds echoed eerily in the gloom. Passages of varying widths, some only small enough for a house elf, some big enough for a giant, branched off the main large passage in random directions at uneven intervals. 

Sitting in the dark of partly dilapidated passage, sat a familiar looking girl. Bellatrix’s hair had gotten very long since the last time Sirius had seen her. It was faintly wavy and wispy, and would have touched the floor as she sat if she hadn't been casting a spell that made the air crackle with static electricity. The ball of living electricity bounced between her hands, lighting her face so that it accentuated the sharp lines of her cheekbones and jaw in a slightly unpleasant way. 

The group of boys paused as they walked by her and felt their hair stand on end. Bella was making her magical presence impossible for them to ignore. She felt like the dark. The kind of dark were there are no stars or moon to cut through the fear and you know your fear is justified. The monsters in the dark are not ones of your own imagination. They were waiting for one misstep, just the right opportunity to strike. 

Did anyone in his family understand _subtlety_?

Sirius didn’t need the light show to understand her warning. He got it. He was a failure, but not a public failure, yet. When he did slip up, Bella wouldn’t keep the lightning contained anymore. 

He didn’t even look at her. He ran his hand along his slick hair, adjusted his bag of his shoulder, and whipped around the corner of the passageway labeled “POTIONS NEXT RIGHT”.

Perhaps Sirius, too, was a little over dramatic, because his robes flared out in a rather spectacular arc behind him as he retreated. It was the only way, Sirius thought, that he could properly convey his displeasure with his cousin without alerting his new friends to his… situation. 

The other three hurried to catch up to him. 

“Slytherin nutter,” James said absently as they walked through the doors to the potions dungeon. 

They were one of the last ones into the classroom, and the teacher in the front of the room started class quite soon after they took their potions stations. 

“Good afternoon, class!”

A large, middle aged, and mustachioed man in old fashioned tweed robes stood in front of the class. He had a genial smile of his face and was practically vibrating from excitement. Sirius caught the zing of his power. Sugared pineapple that, somehow, had maintained it’s tartness after the crystallization process. 

“We are going to start class off with a little contest this year.” He pulled out a bag emblazoned with “Honeydukes” in big, bold letters out of a drawer in his desk. 

“Let’s play a round of ‘Solve my Ailment’! The bag of candy goes to any the person or persons who can come up with the best answer to the list of problems this theoretical customer is having. Understand?”

There was a general sound of somewhat excited agreement. Then, a list of symptoms appeared on the board. 

The professor read them off in succession, “Hiccups, lightheadedness, ringing in the ears, and slight floating on every third step. Ready, set, go!” He started is gold stopwatch on a thick chain with a flourish. 

The class started muttering to each other about possible solutions and flipping through textbooks. 

Sirius was able to ask a few questions in the break. 

“He didn’t even introduce himself. Who is he?”

Remus huffed, “Typical. He’s Slughorn, and don’t ask too much more from him. This,” he gestured to the developing pandemonium of the classroom, “is the way all of his classes work. Terribly organized if you ask me.”

He opened his book. “My first thought would be a grounding solution, but that wouldn’t stop the headaches. What do you think?”

Sirius was a little taken aback at someone asking for his opinion, but rushed to help anyway. 

The whole class flew by in a mess of mountain troll hairs and blue cauldron fires. At the end of class both he and Remus had soot on their faces and discarded their robes due to the intense heat their potion required to boil. Sirius had never had so much fun in a class. 

Slughorn bounded up to their cauldron, “What have you cooked up for me boys?”

Remus talked him through their hybrid concoction in the cauldron. It was a mash up of a headache cure and a grounding solution. Sirius had seen the potion in a shop once, so he knew it was possible. 

He scribbled on his clipboard, “Impressive lads, impressive. But, you must have forgotten that fairy dust and mountain troll hair are cancelers though!”

Remus’s face fell, “Of course. They’re opposites. Ground and sky.”

“I will give you an Exceeds. It would have worked if you used another pain reliever for the headache portion. E for Lupin aaaand an E foooor…” Slughorn’s eyes focused on Sirius for the first time.

“Black,” Sirius prompted, uncomfortably. 

“Any relation to our Head Girl perhaps?” Slughorn said, casually, still marking his clipboard. 

“Yes, professor. We’re cousins.”

“Your mother is quite the influencer nowadays. We met at the Midsummer Ball at the Lestrange Manor.”

He was unsure about what to do with his knowledge, so Sirius simply nodded. 

“Great family. Solid, old family name, but some of her ideas, well, not the talk for a classroom.” Slughorn straightened his robes and walked towards James and Peter. 

Sirius agreed that some of her opinions were, as Slughorn put it, not the talk for a classroom if the potions master wanted to keep his job. Afterall, he had moved Lily up a whole grade level in potions. Mother didn’t believe that people _like her_ even deserved to go to Hogwarts. 

Sirius watched Slughorn grade James and Peter’s potion. It was not going well. James was attempting to convince Slughorn that the unpleasant aroma of their potion was intentional. An “unpleasant shock to ground the patient”. Slughorn was not buying it. He looked down at his nose at James with a displeasure and marked his clipboard with something that looked suspiciously like a D. 

Then, Slughorn turned to Peter and his face grew into a winning smile, “Peter, my boy! It’s nice to see you back at Hogwarts this year! Next class you’ll have a more… accomplished partner. We’ll be making Sunshine Solutions. One of my favorites.” He marked his clipboard with an A, patted Peter’s shoulder, and moved on. 

Peter looked uncomfortable and avoided James’s eyes as they were packing up. Remus, too was avoiding making conversation with them.

It was clear to Sirius that Slughorn played favorites. The professors at Durmstrang favored the students whose parents gave more money, had older names, or had political sway, so, Sirius was never given less than an A on essays and tests that definitely deserved a lower grade. Most teachers turned a blind eye to tardiness or even absences on his behalf.

It was a shock, to say the least, to hear his family dismissed so easily for… Peter Pettigrew. 

One smug Slytherin with huge nerdy glasses won the bag of candy for his original concoction. (The whole class looked like they wanted to thump the kid.) Homework was assigned quickly, and the class was dismissed. The four of them walked in a clump out of the dungeon and into the hallway. 

Remus immediately suggested that they retire to the common room. He stated that he wanted to get a headstart on the potions essay. James grumbled about assigning homework on the first day of class, but, in the end, they all agreed. Anything to ashew the growing awkwardness that started in the potions classroom. 

After all the excitement of the last day, it was intensely relaxing to curl up in an armchair by the fire and pretend to read his potions textbook. He was really watching James and Remus squabble like a married couple. Peter seemed to be a mediator between the two, going back and forth trying to maintain the peace. 

Their friendship dynamic was so set that Sirius had to wonder. Where was his place in all this? Yes, they were readily accepting him into their group (so long as he didn’t show too many signs of pureblood tendencies), but could he ever _really_ be friends with them? They had two years of friendship under their belt, and Sirius felt more like an interloper or a tagalong than a real inductee into their strong bond. 

He was still staring at James and Remus’s play fight when Lily surprised him by jumping into the armchair next to him and noisy dropping her school bag with a loud thud. 

“Evening,” she huffed, in a tired voice. She quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun and shed her school robes and shoes on the floor in front of her. With a sigh, she looked at her bag and pulled out her books, a curious looking blue instrument, and a thin black and white speckled book labeled “Compositions”. 

Lily wrote her name and the date on the first page of the book, and Sirius understood.This was what James had been ranting about at breakfast. The instrument was a quill that wrote without ink, and this book was a stack of bound parchment. 

Her muggleness confounded him. Why did she hang onto things from her youth? The wizarding world was at her fingertips, yet she chose to revert back the inventions of a magicless world. 

Sirius picked up the quill next the him on the chair. “Do you want to use my quill? The ink checks your spelling. It’s very useful for potions essays especially, all those Latin words… ”

Lily didn’t look away from her paper, but continued to title her paper. “No. The spelling’s fine, thanks.”

She curled her feet underneath her and turned away from Sirius. 

“Suit yourself,” he grumbled underneath his breath. 

They sat in silence for a long while with Lily scratching out notes and Sirius getting some actual reading done. Lily suddenly slammed her notebook shut and turned around again to face Sirius. 

“So, you promised to tell me what you and Scruffy,” she gestured at James over her shoulder. He was sitting upside down in a chair talking to Peter, “where talking about in Defense today.”

It seemed more like a demand than a request, and Sirius wasn’t too excited about talking to Lily so soon after she had rejected him. He liked that quill and ink combination. It was an eagle feather quill too. 

He sighed and closed his book. “Power. Kingsley has a lot of power.”

“Well, yeah. He’s an accomplished wizard.”

“But can’t you feel it?”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Lily looked at him like he had doxies in his brain. 

Sirius shifted in his seat to face her, “Fine. Here.” He held out his hands to her. This was how his mother taught him to do this. 

Lily hesitantly grabbed his hands.

“Now, close your eyes and clear your mind.”

She obeyed.

Sirius projected his presence into her mind. It was a low level of Occlumency. Really, sensing any power is a low level of Occlumency, but because they were touching it made this process more controlled and intimate. It allowed Sirius to show Lily exactly what he wanted no, more, no less. Normally, a person’s presence is affected by any number of things. Their mood, the amount of sleep they’d gotten that night, even what a person ate affected what someone else sensed about their power. But, this way was just pure Sirius.

There was another added risk in this because no one really knows what vibe they give off until someone tells them. Mother had informed Sirius that his aura was just passable.

Sirius said, under his breath, “What do you feel?”

Lily respond, simply, “You.”

“What about me?” 

“It’s you but not _you_ you. Not how you look but something deeper than that.”

“Okay, look deeper. What does it feel like?”

She paused, speaking slowly, “The urge to run. Stifled laughter and smiles. Twitching fingers. A dog, told to sit, while it’s master throws a stick.”

He felt a push into his mind and tried to stop it, but he hadn’t been expecting it. 

Lily started talking faster, “Forbidden corridors. Moonlight broom rides. Butterflies in your stomach. A boy-”

Sirius ripped his hands out her grasp. Lily’s eyes flew open with a puzzled look in her face. 

“Well, that’s a presence. Someone’s power. The root of their power,” he said without meeting her eyes, “That’s what we meant about Kingsley. You can do that without guidance. Try it with James.”

Sirius was keenly aware that he had just been holding hands with a girl, a mudblood girl, in the middle of a crowded room. What was he thinking?

“Wasn’t supposed to push, was I?”

“No. Try James,” Sirius said, curtly. 

Lily screwed up her face and looked over to James. 

“Warmth. Heat. A lot of it. Burning away at the edges of your face. Closeness. Intensity. Passion.”

Her face was softening with each word. 

Sirius had never thought about people interpreting power differently, but this was definitely not how he viewed James. He would have asked her, but, right now, he was only thinking about how he could leave the situation as fast as possible. Before she could ask him about, about… 

“Well, there you have it,” Sirius said while standing up from his chair, “a lesson on a basic wizarding skill. Now, if you mind, I’ll be-”

Lily grabbed his arm like she’d done yesterday when they’d left the carriages. It had only been yesterday? It felt like months ago.

“Who was he? The boy,” she inquired. 

Sirius looked down at her. 

“No one,” he said, and wrenched his arm out of her grasp. 

Sirius stalked away, up to bed. 

_“Nosey, ungrateful, stupid, ugly **mudblood** ,”_ he thought, punching his pillow on the last word. 

He curled up in his bed and waited for sleep to overtake him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this chapter took so long to write. I'm going to try to update at least once a month from now on. I will be posting word count updates tagged with #dbupdate on my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/clever-url) if you would like to follow my progress or see what other stuff on working on. (Right now it's a companion piece to my one-shot [Ugly, Wrong, Easy Beautiful](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16360544))
> 
> Thanks for reading. (and 50+ kudos!)


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